


Love bites

by Anonanonanonana



Series: Vampires and Queens [1]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Multi, Vampire!Oliver
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-24
Updated: 2015-11-03
Packaged: 2018-04-23 03:31:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 29,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4861358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anonanonanonana/pseuds/Anonanonanonana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Felicity Smoak left Starling City 10 years ago. When she returns and runs into her high school crush at an alumni party, she would never have thought he'd have to save her from vampires.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Reconnecting

Felicity looked around the room and wondered why she was here. The party had seemed like a good idea when she had gotten the invite, the hope of reconnecting with people she hadn’t seen since leaving Starling after graduation 10 years ago clouding her judgment, but after an hour she still recognized no one. A hand touched her shoulder as she sighed to herself, causing her to let out a small “eep”.

The somewhat familiar brunette laughed softly, offering her a large apologetic smile as Felicity turned towards her. “I’m sorry, Felicity. I didn’t mean to spook you.”

Felicity shook her head. “That’s okay, I was lost in my own thoughts.” She pointed to her forehead and laughed nervously. Clearing her throat she shook off the creepy feeling the woman’s smile was starting to give her. “You seem familiar but I can’t quite place you.”

The woman laughed again, but still hadn’t removed her hand from Felicity’s shoulder, causing her to shudder slightly as the woman took a breath to answer. “Helena. Helena Bertinelli.”

Felicity’s eyes widened before she caught herself. The girl who had made her high school years uncomfortable was standing in front of her looking absolutely ridiculously gorgeous. And she still hadn’t moved her hand. Felicity tried to smile as she acknowledged the response, “Oh my goodness. Helena. You look amazing. I mean you looked amazing in high school, too, but now you’re all grown up. I mean we’re all grown up, and the years have been kinder to some of us than others.” She cleared her throat trying to stop the ramble.

Helena giggled softly, biting her bottom lip. She took a step closer, invading Felicity’s personal space. “The years have been kind to you, too, you know.”

Felicity quickly scanned the room, hoping she’d find someone else she knew. She didn’t like Helena in high school and she definitely didn’t find this creepy version of her very likable either. Not finding anyone who could help her Felicity turned awkwardly in an attempt to dislodge Helena’s hand, swinging her own around to indicate the room. “Great party, huh. I mean I almost didn’t come but I’ve only been back in Starling a few weeks and was hoping to run into people I know.”

Helena tilted her head in curiosity. “So no significant other at the moment?”

“Umm,” Felicity responded hesitantly, “I’m not sure why you ask that but if it’s for yourself, I’m sorry. I’m straight.”

Helena giggled again. Something about the tinny sound made Felicity’s hair stand on end. Something was definitely off about the woman in front of her. ‘Or you’re just socially awkward,’ Felicity thought to herself.

“I was asking for me, and I’m sure you’d change your mind if you let me have you alone for a few minutes.” Helena’s eyes seem to sparkle. Felicity wanted to leave but her feet wouldn’t move. Her tongue was heavy and her head felt like it was balancing precariously on her shoulders. The room melted away and all she saw was Helena’s eyes staring straight into her soul. Something was happening and she couldn’t stop it. Helena leaned closer just as a man came up behind her, breaking her gaze from Felicity’s.

Felicity shook her head. The sounds of the room started filtering back in and she looked around, semi-dazed.

“Hey, you okay?” The masculine voice asked just as a warm hand landed on her shoulder, grounding her.

Felicity cleared her throat. “Yeah. I don’t know what happened.”

The man sighed. “Don’t let Helena get to you. She thinks she runs things around here”

She shook her head again. “I was invited. But I really don’t know why. Helena was the first person I saw that I knew.” She looked around, not seeing the brunette anywhere. “Where’d she go? I mean not that I wanted her to still be here. She was kinda creepy and everything and even in high school she was such a bit…I mean, um…”

The man huffed out a small laugh and Felicity finally turned to look at him. He was tall, and handsome with wide shoulders and ‘oh my god!’ Felicity’s mind screamed at her, ‘It’s Oliver Queen!’

Felicity’s mouth hung open. Her high school crush stood in front of her and seemingly chased off crazy creepy eyes Helena.

Oliver laughed. “Crazy creepy eyes? I’ve heard worse nicknames for her.”

Felicity squeezed her eyes shut. “My filter is apparently not working. I’m sorry.” She gave him a tight-lipped smile.

“What do you say we go to the bar, get a drink, and catch up, Miss Smoak?” He asked as he offered her his elbow.

Felicity bit her bottom lip, taking the offered arm and starting to walk with him. “You remember who I am, Mr. Queen?”

Oliver stopped, turning towards the blonde on his arm. “Of course.” He smiled, starting to walk again. “I always wondered what happened to you after graduation. You went to MIT, right?”

Felicity smiled and nodded. “Yeah, graduated early, two Master’s degrees, top of my class. Went into IT and cyber security.”

Oliver whistled low as they made it to the bar, ordering drinks before continuing the conversation. “So what brought you back to Starling? Or are you just here to be hit on by Helena?”

Felicity laughed. “No, I moved back a few weeks ago.” She took a sip of her wine as she contemplated what else to tell him. “I was working at Palmer Technologies. It’s not where I started out, but I was dating Ray Palmer and he brought me on board from a small start-up I had been trying to launch. He argued that I shouldn’t have to build what he can give me. But things didn’t work out with us, so I found myself in need of a job.” She looked up to find Oliver watching her, so she continued, “I want to eventually go back to building my own business, but for now I have a consulting position at Merlyn Global. I’ve actually been offered a similar one at Queen Consolidated.”

“Would you be able to do both?”

Felicity nodded. “That’s the beauty of being a consultant. I’m only needed a couple days a week and in emergencies, so as long as I disclose who my other clients are I can work for as many companies as I think I can manage.”

“So I might see you a lot?” Oliver raised an eyebrow.

Felicity tilted her head, furrowing her brows. “You work at QC?”

Oliver smiled and nodded. “Yeah, I took over a VP position when my dad died a few years ago.”

“Oh I’m sorry, I hadn’t heard about your dad.”

Oliver shook his head. “It’s okay. It was the push I needed to grow up.”

Felicity snorted. “Grown up Oliver Queen, who woulda thought.”

Oliver chuckled. “Not me, that’s for sure.”

Felicity finished her wine with a giggle. “I just remember you being dead set against having anything to do with the family business.”

Oliver simply nodded, scratching at the label on his beer bottle.

“Are you happy, Oliver?”

He raised his head to look at her. “I don’t know. But I am happy to know you’re back in town.”

Felicity felt the blush start on her cheeks and quickly turned away. He had always been able to do that to her. They had gone back and forth between being acquaintances and friends in school, never running in the same circles but always crossing paths somehow. And they always connected easily, even now after all this time. She cleared her throat and ordered another glass of wine.

They talked for an hour, moving from heavy to light topics and back again, their stools moving closer to one another until their thighs and shoulders were touching. Giggling at something Oliver remembered Felicity leaned her forehead on his shoulder, her hair swiping at his cheek as she shook her head. “Oh my god, please tell me you actually don’t remember that!”

Oliver laughed and leaned his forehead on the crown of her head. “I actually do. You had to slide up where you were slouching in your chair, so when you stood up your skirt was folded up, showing off your Hello Kitty undies.”

Felicity groaned and Oliver huffed out a small laugh, his breath traveling through her hair and to her scalp, causing her spine to tingle. “And then I had to smooth it down for you,” he continued talking but she stiffened.

Oliver lifted his head. “You okay?”

Felicity lifted her head slowly, finding herself eye to eye with Oliver.

She cleared her throat as she jumped back, pulling her arm and leg away from his. “Yeah.” She shook her head. “Yeah, I’m fine. Um, it’s late and I should probably go.”

Oliver grabbed her hand as she jumped down from the stool. “Hey.”

Felicity tugged gently but didn’t manage to pull away so she turned to look at him, giving him a quick smile. “I’m fine, Oliver. I just need to go before I do something stupid.”

One side of his lips quirked up. “Something stupid?”

Felicity nodded.

“Like what?”

Felicity laughed nervously. “Like answer that question.”

Oliver smiled and got off his stool, still holding her hand. “At least let me walk you out.”

Felicity smiled and nodded. “Sure.”

He held her hand as they pushed through the crowd, which had grown since her earlier run in with Helena. Oliver was trying to say something but she couldn’t hear him over the noise. She shook her head when he peeked back at her to indicate that she couldn’t hear so he stopped and turned around after they made it to the quiet on the other side of the doors.

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay for the main event?”

Felicity looked at him curiously. “Main event?”

Oliver chuckled. “Yeah, the whole reason for the party.”

Felicity shook her head. “My invite didn’t mention anything other than it was a get together of Starling alumni.”

Oliver’s face turned serious. “Do you have it with you?”

Felicity pulled the invitation from her purse and handed it to him. He eyed the green envelope without opening it and sighed, running a hand down his face.

“Oliver, what’s wrong?”

He shook his head. “It’s a good thing I ran into you.”

Felicity laughed. “Yeah you saved me from crazy creepy eyes Helena.”

Oliver stood stiffly, staring at her. “Actually, that’s exactly what happened.”

“What?”

Oliver stepped forward, placing his hands on Felicity’s shoulders. “Felicity, there’s a lot you don’t know. And I’ll tell you everything, but I need to get you safely away from here. You were invited for a reason and I interrupted that. Helena is going to be after you. I can keep you safe, but I need you to trust me.”

Felicity nodded. “Okay. How do we do that?”

Oliver sighed. “Just breathe for me, okay? And don’t pull away, even if it hurts.”

“Even if what hurts?” Felicity’s voice cracked, fear starting to put her senses on alert.

Oliver leaned down, his forehead just brushing Felicity’s. “I need to mark you so we can get out of here safely. They’ll only let you leave if you belong to someone.”

“Mark me?” Now her voice squeaked. She tried to lick her lips but her throat was dry. ‘Him talking about marking me shouldn’t be so sexy,’ she thought.

Oliver huffed out a laugh. “At least I know you’d enjoy this under better circumstances.”

‘Shit,’ she thought to herself, closing her eyes.

“Felicity, I want you to know that this is something I’ve thought about doing a lot over the last 10 years. In fact I thought about it a lot during high school, too. But I didn’t want that life for you, so I resisted.” She opened her eyes to see that his were watery. “I’m sorry that you got dragged into this.”

“What is this?” Felicity whispered.

“I’m a vampire.” He quickly continued when he saw her eyes widen. “So’s Helena. She was probably mesmerizing you to feed when I interrupted earlier.”

Felicity’s eyes prickled with tears. Every horror movie she’d seen filtering through her mind. “Are you mesmerizing me now?”

Oliver pulled back, his hands leaving her shoulders to rub her upper arms. “Oh god, no, Felicity. I won’t do anything you don’t want me to. But the only way to save you now is for me to mark you, by biting you. And then I can take you to my place and explain everything.”

He wiped a tear as it escaped down her cheek. “Why not my place?”

Oliver sighed, leaning his forehead fully against hers as he cupped her jaw. “Because Helena will be looking for you.”

Felicity couldn’t help the sob that escaped her throat. Oliver’s eyes were wet with tears of his own. “I’m so sorry, Felicity.”

“She was going to eat me?”

Oliver shook his head, rubbing their foreheads together. “Usually these parties involve voluntary donors. I didn’t put it together until I saw your green envelope. I had heard rumors that there were old clan rituals happening in Starling, I just hadn’t suspected that Helena was behind it.”

“I don’t understand.” Felicity was crying now. The fear and confusion mixing with the wine.

“Shh, shh, I know.” Oliver used both hands to wipe the tears from her face. “Let me help you get out of here.”

Felicity nodded. “Okay. What do we do?”

He wrapped his arms around her, bringing her in for a hug and allowing him to whisper in her ear. “I’m going to mark your neck. It will probably sting, but I promise to be as gentle as possible.”

Felicity sniffled and nodded. “Okay.”

Oliver kissed her temple, causing her to sob again. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart. Like I said, I imagined this happening very differently.”

Screams started to echo from inside the room on the other side of the door. Oliver tensed. “It’s now or never. Just relax, Felicity. I’ve got you.”

Felicity nodded and he felt the tension in her body release slightly. ‘It’s the best she’ll do right now,’ he thought as he nuzzled the side of her throat with his nose. He breathed in her scent, the sound of her heart reaching his ears from their proximity. It was pounding and the thought that she’d taste like adrenaline made his mouth water. He quickly brushed her hair away from her throat and licked along the jugular. Her breath caught, making his pants tighten. He couldn’t hold in a small laugh at that. Feeding had never been a sexual thing for him, but of course with her it would be. His high school crush, the focus of his fantasies for over a decade, the girl everyone else was compared to. He smiled as he slowly and carefully bit into her skin.

Felicity felt the sting of his teeth and then a dull ache as Oliver sucked on her neck. She could feel her nipples hardening and let her mind wander to whether this was supposed to be sexual. One hand fisted in Oliver’s shirt as the other made its way to the back of his head. As she ran her fingers through his hair he bit down again and she moaned, swaying back against the wall. His arms gripped her tighter, holding her up. Just like he promised, it didn’t hurt. Instead, she felt euphoric. The last thing she registered was the night sky above her as screams echoed from inside.


	2. Reinforcements

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver helps Felicity escape Helena and calls in reinforcements.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The feedback on this story has been overwhelming and amazing. I'm so glad there are so many of you as intrigued by this idea as I am. I hope I continue to do it justice.

Felicity blinked her eyes open slowly, the side of Oliver’s face and neck coming into focus. He was breathing heavily and she felt herself moving in time with his shoulders. She shook her head to clear the fog in her mind.

“Oliver?” Her voice croaked, but he heard it, flinching to spare her a sideways glance. They were moving and she could feel his hold on her tighten as the sudden awareness that he was carrying her made her swing her arms up around his neck.

“She’s mine! Find her!” A shrill feminine voice echoed around them.

Felicity turned to look over Oliver’s shoulder. Every light was on in the large house where the party had been held but they were too far away in the woods to make out anything going on in the yard.

“Don’t worry, Helena can’t track you right now.” Oliver reassured her quietly.

Felicity gripped his neck tighter and closed her eyes, laying her head on his shoulder as he kept moving. “What happened?”

“You fainted, so I carried you out. When I bit you my scent covered yours so she can’t track you and leaving the mark on your neck prevented her guards from questioning why you’re with me.” Felicity looked up at him, which he must’ve taken for surprise because he continued apologetically, “The scent will wear off in a few hours. Don’t worry, it’s not permanent.” He sighed. “But your neck is going to be sore for a few days.”

Felicity tried to speak but her throat was too dry. She shook her head and filed away her questions for when they got to wherever Oliver was taking her. When they reached the road he set her down on her feet, using one arm to hold her steady as he pulled out his cell phone with the other hand. “I’m going to call my driver and get us to my place, okay?”

Felicity nodded and leaned into him. Her head swam a bit and her balance was unsteady. She trusted that if he was going to hurt her he would’ve done it by now. They were far enough from the house that the lights were no longer visible, but an errant scream still made it to her ears every now and then, causing her to flinch. Finishing his phone call Oliver wrapped his arms around her and stroked her back gently.

“It’s going to be okay, Felicity. I promise.”

She nodded, the urge to cry earlier now a simple burning sensation in her eyes. “I just don’t understand what’s happening.” She whispered against his chest, both hands clenching his shirt for balance.

He sighed heavily and nuzzled the top of her head with his nose. “I know, and it’s only going to get more confusing before I can tell you everything.”

Felicity leaned back to look up at him, her brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

He scanned the area around them, listening and watching as he tilted his head to consider her question. Absent mindedly he moved his hands to her arms, rubbing them to warm her up when she shivered. “There’s an endorphin rush with the bite and a hormone that’s produced.” He stopped moving and met her gaze. “It’s addictive for most people. And the effects are pretty immediate.”

Felicity swallowed thickly. “How immediate?” Her voice was barely audible.

Oliver took one of her hands in his just as headlights came over a hill down the road. Oliver turned quickly to watch the approaching vehicle and squeezed her hand gently. “Just let me know if you’re not feeling well, okay?”

Felicity nodded. “Oliver?”

“Yeah.” He was distracted by the dark town car coming to a stop near by.

“I don’t feel well.”

Oliver chuckled a bit as he picked Felicity up and headed towards the back door. “Let’s get you comfortable then.” A large man came around from the driver’s side and opened the door for them, nodding a hello towards Felicity. “Felicity, this is John Diggle. Dig, meet Felicity Smoak. An old friend who got a little more than she bargained for from Helena Bertinelli.”

“Helena?” He asked as Oliver set her inside the car. Felicity caught their movement outside the open car door as Oliver handed Diggle her green invitation and heard Diggle sigh. “Shit.”

Oliver huffed. “Yeah.”

“Well we best get going then. Your place?”

“Yes. Thanks, Dig.”

Oliver slid into the car beside Felicity as Diggle got the car back on the road. Felicity felt something cold tap her hand and looked down to find Oliver offering her a bottle of water. “Keeping hydrated will help.”

She smiled and took it from him. As the water relieved her scratchy throat Felicity took a breath and relaxed into the seat. The car ride continued in tense silence. She stole glances at the two men to keep herself from wandering off in thought. The driver kept his attention forward and on the road. ‘Good,’ she thought, ‘at least I won’t add car crash to the clusterfuck tonight has become.’

Sometimes she caught Oliver stealing glances her way. Other than that he held himself rigid beside her, sometimes wiping his palms methodically on his jeans. After what seemed like forever, Felicity started to get anxious and cleared her throat. “So, where are we going exactly?”

Oliver didn’t turn from the window as he answered. “I live just outside the city, on the other side from Helena’s house. We’re almost there.”

“So you moved out of the Queen mansion?”

She smiled when he nodded slowly in affirmation. “Good, I’d hate to run into your mother. It would just add to the wtf factor this night has going for it and I can only handle one diabolical woman trying to kill me per night.”

Oliver swung his head around, caught off guard, as Diggle snorted from the front seat trying to hold in a laugh. Felicity’s eyes widened as her mouth opened and closed, trying to take back what she just said. “I mean your mother is a lovely woman,” she finally squeaked out, wringing her hands.

Oliver smiled and shook his head. “When did you meet my mom?”

“A couple of times I bumped into her at school functions. And once when I was at Tommy’s helping him study for a test sophomore year. She stared daggers at me like I’d melt under the pressure.”

“Ah.”

“Ah?” Felicity raised an eyebrow at his minimal response.

“You’ve always had a very subtle scent. She probably couldn’t pick it up right away and thought you were Tommy’s donor, but she also knew that I…” He paused, hesitant to finish the thought. He cleared his throat before continuing, “that we knew each other, so she was probably being presumptuous and protective of me.”

“Wait! Tommy’s a vampire, too?”

Oliver nodded, biting his bottom lip.

Felicity huffed and stared out the window, talking to herself, “I thought when he talked about wanting to bite me it was just a bad pickup line.”

A loud laugh resounded from the front seat, covering any response Oliver may have had. Shaking his head Diggle pulled the car to a stop. “We’re here.”

Oliver’s hand on Felicity’s shoulder stopped her from opening her door. “Wait until I come around, just in case you aren’t steady on your feet yet.”

She nodded and as he helped her out she was thankful for his suggestion. Her body swayed slightly despite having foregone heels for the evening. She held her hand up to her eyes as her vision swam in front of her.

“You okay?” His voice sounded distant though he was right beside her.

“I’m a bit dizzy.”

Oliver sighed. “Let’s get you inside. Food and sleep should help.”

Oliver put together a bowl of sliced fruit for Felicity and left her at the kitchen table to scrounge up some of his sister’s clothes from the laundry room. Oliver then showed her to the guestroom. “You have your own bathroom, and if you need anything I’ll be next door or in the living room.”

Felicity sat on the bed, letting herself bounce a little. “Are you sure it’s okay, me being here? What if Helena saw us leave together?”

Oliver smiled. “She can’t hurt you here. But I’ll explain everything in the morning. Get some rest, Felicity.” He shut the guestroom door and headed for the living room, sending Tommy Merlyn a text.

**

Tommy stretched contentedly in his bed, feeling the calm after effects of making love to his beautiful girlfriend. Laurel stood in the bathroom doorway, a shadow illuminated from behind by the vanity lights. “Merlyn, did you fall asleep on me?”

Tommy smirked and hugged her pillow against his body, allowing his chin to rest on his hands so he could take her in. “Can you blame me Miss Lance? I haven’t fed and come at the same time since we first started dating. I’m getting too old for that much pleasure.”

Laurel bit her lip to hold in the giggle but Tommy could see her broad grin when she turned off the bathroom light and walked towards the bed. “I thought you might like that.”

“Uh huh,” was all Tommy could get out. ‘God I love this woman,’ was on constant rotation in his mind.

Laurel leaned over the edge of the bed, her breasts in the forefront of Tommy’s view as she leaned to whisper in his ear, “Maybe we could do it again. And again. And again.”

Tommy’s mouth dropped open as he choked on a response. Blinking he shook his head to clear it. Sometimes he wondered if humans could mesmerize like vampires do, because if anyone could get his mind to go blank it was Laurel. “How’s your neck though?”

Laurel kissed his temple and sat down on the bed next to him, running her fingers through his hair. “It’ll be fine by the morning. And it doesn’t have to be my neck.”

Tommy growled, throwing the pillow away and pouncing on top of her as he pushed her onto her back, getting giggles in return. He interlaced their fingers and pulled both of her hands over her head, letting their bodies lie flush together. “Have I told you lately how much I love you?” He purred into her ear before nipping at the lobe with this tongue and teeth.

Laurel sighed. “You may have mentioned it a few times. But I think you need to show me. Just to make sure I get the message clearly.”

Tommy scraped his teeth down her neck, sending chills down her spine. She threw her head back to allow him better access. Tommy took in the sight in front of him. The unblemished side of her neck, the one he hadn’t been attacking earlier, it called to him, her scent and heartbeat making his fingers and dick twitch. Just as he started licking at the base of her throat his cell phone sang from the other room. He jerked his head up as Laurel tried to tug on his hair to pull his face back to her throat. “Ignore it.”

Tommy shook his head and jumped up. “I can’t. That’s Ollie’s burner texting me.”

Tommy ran naked into the living room, looking for his pants. He found them behind the couch as Laurel stepped out, tying off her robe. “Do you think he found something?”

“I hope so,” Tommy answered as he unlocked his phone. “This time of night though it’s probably trouble…” Tommy drew out the last word as he read the text.

Laurel took a few steps towards him. “Tommy? What is it? Is Ollie okay?”

“Umm.” Tommy nodded. “I don’t know, but I have to go.”

“Why? What’d it say? Should I get dressed?”

Tommy gave her a quick hard kiss on the lips. “No, you stay here. I’ll call if it’s something.”

As Tommy ran into the bedroom to get dressed Laurel picked up his phone to see the message for herself.

_My place ASAP_


	3. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity gets answers and an old friend is more than she seems.

Tommy drove to Oliver’s relatively small house on the outskirts of Starling City from his and Laurel’s apartment downtown as quickly as possible. The last time he’d gotten an emergency text from his best friend at 1 am he’d found him pacing a hole in the carpet of his bedroom at Queen mansion and muttering about Sara, blood staining the carpet under his bare feet as it dripped from a wound in his thigh. That was the night they’d found out about the clan rituals and jumped head long into trying to stop them. Tommy ran a hand down his face and sighed as he parked in the spacious driveway. There was no telling what they were in for, especially if his friend had finally discovered who was behind it all.

Noticing John Diggle’s town car Tommy grit his teeth. Dig being here meant that whatever it was hadn’t been handled by Oliver alone. ‘Please don’t be injured again,’ Tommy said to himself as he slowly exited his car and made his way to the side door by the garage.

Before Tommy could reach for the handle Oliver jerked the door open, standing stiffly in the doorway. Tommy raised his eyebrows, shrugging his shoulders as he anchored his hands in his pants pockets. “You gonna let me in, buddy?”

Oliver shook his head. “Yeah, sorry.” Stepping aside to let his friend step in he shut the door behind them before leading him into the living room. “Sorry, I’m just distracted.”

Tommy scoffed. “Dude, you don’t get distracted. What happened tonight? Why the emergency text?”

Oliver sighed, his shoulders slumping forward slightly as he clenched his jaw. “She’s back in town. And they almost got her.”

Tommy’s brow furrowed in confusion at Oliver’s back. The only light came from the fireplace as Oliver stared out the living room windows. “You’re going to have to be a bit more specific, Ollie. Who’s back?”

Oliver turned towards his oldest friend with a broad smile. “Felicity.”

Tommy chuckled and smiled. “You called me here to gloat about running into the girl of your dreams? Man, I thought there was trouble!” Tommy’s smile fell when he saw the mask descend on Oliver’s face, remembering that his friend had also said something about _them_. “Oh god, what happened to her?”

Oliver sighed and walked over to the couch, sitting down heavily. “I had to bite her. But she’s safe in the guestroom right now.”

Tommy opened and closed his mouth a few times before clearing his throat and sitting on a chair to face his friend. “Okay. Let’s start at the beginning. What happened tonight?”

Oliver was just finishing up the story when Dig came in through the front door. “All of the security measures are functioning as expected,” he said when the two men acknowledged his presence.

Tommy looked between Oliver and Diggle. “Do you think Helena would come for her here?”

Oliver shook his head. “I don’t know. But I’m not taking any chances.”

Tommy’s lip quirked up as he watched Oliver’s eyes glaze over. He nudged his friend’s foot with his own, letting a smile show when he looked up at him inquisitively. “So, how was it?”

Oliver tilted his head in question. “How was what?”

Dig snorted from behind Tommy, but he ignored it. “Don’t tell me you bit her but didn’t drink.”

Oliver rolled his eyes, talking through his clenched jaw, “I’m not going to talk about her like that, Tommy.”

Tommy looked up over his shoulder at Dig. “Wow, he’s got it bad, huh?”

Their friend shook his head and headed for the kitchen. “Like you should talk, man.”

Tommy smirked. “Hey, I admitted my defeat and moved in with the girl that stole my heart. He’s just sulked for 10 years.” His voice got louder to ensure Diggle heard him.

Oliver hissed and smacked Tommy’s arm, causing him to turn his head quickly. “She’s sleeping. Keep it down!”

Tommy raised both hands in defeat. “Sorry Mr. Broody. But seriously, Oliver. It’s been a long time. How is she?”

Oliver ran his hand through his hair, gripping the back of his neck. “She’s Felicity. Same smile, same scent, same brilliance.”

“Same taste?”

Oliver looked up quickly to meet Tommy’s gaze. “I wouldn’t know, Tommy. This was the first time. For both of us. She had no clue about any of it and was absolutely terrified.”

“So your first time tasting her and her first time being tasted?” Tommy rolled his hand in the air as he clarified the situation.

Oliver nodded.

“How is that possible, man? You were head over heels for her in high school. During that first semester senior year you were always walking Felicity to class, I thought for sure you two were close. Then after spring break you practically ignored her until graduation. I thought you’d bitten her and it didn’t go well.”

Oliver shook his head. “I had to keep away from her so I wouldn’t bite her, Tommy. I wanted her so bad I was dreaming about her. I almost told her, about everything. But then I dreamt that I killed her because I couldn’t stop drawing from her, so I backed off.”

Tommy sighed. “Man…”

“And she had so much going for her. I couldn’t put her through the withdrawals and work arounds for the distance we’d have in college. I didn’t want to complicate her life.”

“Okay, so I get that part, but why was she at the party?”

“Helena lured her there under false pretenses, just like the other victims we’ve been running across. I don’t know why she’s after her, but she wanted her bad.” Oliver huffed humorlessly. “I thought she was there as a donor. That someone else had taken that innocence from her and now I could have her without the guilt.” His eyes were wet as he met his friend’s gaze. “I wish tonight had gone differently.”

“You wish you hadn’t gone?”

Oliver nodded.

“And then in tomorrow’s paper you’d read about the next victim being Felicity Smoak, age 27, just returned to Starling with great things ahead of her only to be found exsanguinated on the side of a road mysteriously close to Helena Bertinelli’s house?” Tommy’s voice was quiet but it rang in Oliver’s ears.

“No, no, no.” Oliver held his head in his hands. “She should never have been there, Tommy!”

He grabbed Oliver’s wrists so he could look him in the eye. “That wasn’t your fault! It was a good thing that you were there! And it was a good thing what you did! You saved her, man! Chalk this up as a victory.” Tommy dropped Oliver’s hands as a quiet voice came down the hallway.

“Oliver?”

He cleared his throat to respond to her as both men stood. “Yeah, Felicity, I’m in here.”

“You said I should tell you if I don’t feel well.”

He quickly moved towards her as she stepped into the living room. She was pale and shaky.

Tommy gasped. “I thought you said you took care of her?”

Oliver glared at him as he easily picked her up. “I did! I made sure she drank water and ate. I didn’t draw that much from her!”

Tommy made room for his friend to step around the couch and set her down. “Did she get any protein?”

Oliver hung his head. “Shit. No.”

Tommy gave him a faint smile as he watched Oliver stroke Felicity’s cheek gently. “It’s okay. I’ll go make her what usually works for Laurel when I’ve been over amorous.” He chuckled at Oliver’s exasperated sigh as he made his way to the kitchen.

Felicity woke slowly to sunlight warming her cheek. She heard low voices somewhere nearby. Her throat was dry and her limbs stiff, but the headache she’d fallen asleep with was gone. She opened her eyes unsure of where she was until she remembered walking out of the guest room in the dark. As she tried to sit up a hand landed on her back as another held her arm.

“Easy there,” a light feminine voice said from beside her. “You’re probably going to feel a little wonky for a bit.”

Felicity startled but let the woman help her. She blinked, trying to focus the face in front of her. “Do I know you?”

The woman smiled broadly. “Laurel? Laurel Lance?”

Felicity smiled. “Laurel? Sorry, I don’t have my glasses on so you’re all fuzzy and I didn’t recognize you.”

Laurel laughed politely. “It’s okay, Felicity. It’s also been 10 years and you had a pretty traumatizing evening from what I hear.”

Felicity frowned. “What?”

Laurel sat on the couch beside her and put a reassuring hand on her forearm. “It’s okay. This isn’t new to me. Tommy called me so I could help you get through the after effects.”

“Tommy’s here?” Felicity tilted her head trying to remember if she knew that already.

“Yes, I am.” His voice boomed out from the doorway to the kitchen Felicity hadn’t noticed until then. Oliver stood behind him shaking his head.

“Tommy, she probably has a headache. Keep it down,” Laurel chided her boyfriend.

Oliver disappeared down the hallway and returned with Felicity’s glasses. “Here,” he said quietly when he handed them to her. “Seeing out of focus probably isn’t helping matters any.”

She smiled and placed them on her face, whispering, “Thank you.”

He knelt down in front of her, placing his hands on her knees. “How are you feeling?”

She cleared her throat before answering. “My throat’s dry, and I think I might be hungry. But other than that okay I think.”

Oliver moved one hand to push her hair back from her shoulder. “Speaking of throat. Can I check?”

Felicity nodded and tilted her head back so he could see the bite mark. Laurel leaned over and drew her breath in through her teeth. “Geez, Ollie. You really are out of practice.”

Oliver sighed. “The whole point was to leave a mark they wouldn’t question, Laurel.”

“And blood bags don’t bruise,” Tommy added from the doorway.

“Not helping, Tommy,” Oliver nearly growled, making Felicity shiver as his fingers ran over her neck delicately.

Laurel turned towards her boyfriend. “Tommy dear?”

“Yes, Laurel my love,” he answered patronizingly.

“Could you please be helpful and get an ice pack and a bottle of water before making Felicity some lunch?”

Tommy pulled his lips inward and nodded, turning soundlessly to enter the kitchen.

When she turned back towards the other couple Oliver’s hand was still on Felicity’s neck but the other had started to creep up her thigh. As they gazed into each other’s eyes Laurel knew they were oblivious to everything else. She cleared her throat purposefully, holding back a giggle as they jumped apart, Oliver leaping to his feet. “Sorry, but I know that look and it’s not something you’ll want to indulge when there are other people around.”

Oliver cleared his throat, looking around the room as Felicity shook her head to clear it. “Where’d Tommy go?”

Laurel rolled her eyes. Now she knew why her dad hated being in the same room as her and Tommy. She couldn’t help but be amused though. Being enamored suited Oliver, and Laurel had always liked Felicity. “He’s getting an ice pack and water. Why don’t you go help get lunch started. My dad will be here later this afternoon to go over what happened.”

Oliver nodded and headed for the kitchen, passing Tommy as he came back with what Laurel had requested.

They ate soup and sandwiches at the coffee table in the living room. The quiet sounds of chewing interrupted by Felicity’s questions, starting with friendly catching up before diving into the matter at hand. “So, you don’t just drink blood?”

Oliver smiled and shook his head. “You don’t remember the almost daily visits to Big Belly Burger?”

“Wow, knowing that you guys were vampires in high school puts a completely different perspective on things.”

Oliver raised an eyebrow. “Like what?”

Felicity scrunched her nose. “Like, I already know that nearly every myth is wrong. You guys were always eating, always in the sun, you had that silver ring you wore all the time, you even loved garlic!”

Tommy chuckled. “The myths aren’t wrong. They just aren’t specific enough.”

When Felicity tilted her head in question he continued. “Oliver and I were born vampires. We matured into it. Made vampires have weaknesses we don’t.”

“But we have weaknesses, too,” Oliver added.

“I don’t see how getting to age with the humans we love is a weakness.” Tommy winked at Laurel as he spoke.

“So you age normally?”

Oliver shook his head. “We age, but we stay stronger and young-looking longer. Vampirism is a genetic condition, so it affects our whole body.”

“Then how does someone become a vampire?”

“Our blood has the capacity to alter human genes. It takes a lot of blood sharing and time to fully transform a non-vampire, and because of the damage that transformation does they have certain weaknesses. Like sensitivities to certain metals, sunlight, and certain foods. But it also makes them stronger and more resilient physically, allowing them to age slower. And the shift to needing blood to survive makes them generally not very nice.”

The serious tone in the room had Felicity biting her lip. “What are you thinking?” Oliver asked quietly.

She met his gaze. “What kind of vampire is Helena?”

Oliver licked his lips before answering. “Her family line is as old as mine and Tommy’s.”

Felicity nodded. “Why is she after me?”

He sighed. “I don’t know.”

“Why were you there last night?”

Tommy cleared his throat and started picking up plates and bowls. “Laur, we should clean up and let these two talk.”

When Oliver and Felicity were left alone he got up to stand by the window. “A few years ago, around the time my father died, we started hearing rumors of old clan rituals returning to Starling. There was a time when the vampire myths weren’t so far-fetched. But hunting humans was something Tommy and I, and I thought Helena, had been raised to loathe. We grew up being different, hiding the truth so people wouldn’t be scared of us, but it was just normal life for us. The vampire families have a global blood exchange. We grew up using blood bags, not donors.” The corner of his lips quirked up and he gave her a sideways glance. “As you heard from Tommy, I still do.

“We were taught how to draw safely from a donor though, just in case it was ever necessary. When Tommy and Laurel started experimenting when we were teenagers he kept telling me how amazing it was. I was hesitant though to cross that line, especially since my love life was…complicated. But after high school I hit a rough patch and took a donor. Sara, Laurel’s sister.”

“You dated her in high school,” Felicity interrupted.

Oliver shook his head. “Actually, no. She was in a relationship no one would approve of, or so she thought. So she used me as a cover story. I let her.”

“Why?”

“Uhh…” Oliver scratched his temple and rubbed his neck and chin, turning back towards the window. “I was in love with someone I couldn’t be with.” He continued before she could interrupt again, “I never got the same enjoyment out of drawing from Sara as Tommy claimed he did from Laurel. I figured he had just been boasting to goad me so when Sara’s dad found out about what we were doing and disapproved I had no problem ending the relationship.”

“Laurel said her dad was coming here today.”

Oliver nodded and turned to walk towards the couch where she sat. “We’re on okay terms now. Quentin Lance is as set on catching the group killing people in clan rituals as Tommy and I am.”

Felicity’s brows furrowed. Oliver took her hands in both of his, hoping it would help him get through the next part of the story. “Sara was forcibly turned in a ritual about 5 years ago. We don’t know why. But the bodies have been piling up since. It’s why I was at the party, to see if I could find out anything. Usually they’re uneventful and I leave as donors start to pair off with vampires, but last night was, well, not uneventful.”

Her breath caught as what Oliver had just said rolled around in her head. “Sara was turned?”

Oliver nodded. Felicity pulled her hands away from him and stood slowly, walking towards the hallway and back, running a hand over the top of her head as she paced. Her scent flared, spurring Oliver to stand up and walk towards her. “Felicity?” He caught her by the shoulders, waiting for her to say something.

“I saw Sara.” Her voice was a whisper.

He squinted his eyes at her.

Felicity cleared her throat. “Oliver, I saw Sara at Merlyn Global when I first returned to Starling. I was working late my first night there to ensure I was familiar enough with the systems to work from home and I ran into her as I left the building. But it isn’t the first time I’ve seen her since high school.”

Oliver opened his mouth to say something but ended up shaking his head instead.

“She contacted me out of the blue about 5 years ago. I thought she’d just run across me on social media. We had a couple emails catching up, and then nothing for about 3 years. I ran into her when I was visiting my mom in Bludhaven, right before…” Felicity bowed her head toward Oliver’s chest, her hands gripping his forearms for support. Closing her eyes she pushed through the anguish building in her chest. “Right before my mom died. It was some sort of accident at work, but I never thought to question it.” Felicity opened her eyes and raised her head. “Oliver, 6 months ago I told her my plans to return to Starling and she got me the interview with Tommy’s father.”


	4. Rebound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waiting for Laurel's dad to arrive means more revelations as things get a little heated when Oliver and Felicity are left alone.

Felicity lay curled up in the double bed in Oliver’s guest room, trying to will away the pain in her abdomen and limbs. Laurel assured the blonde the muscle cramps and chills would pass in a day or two but suggested utilizing Oliver’s home gym if they at some point ebbed and gave her a reprieve.

“I find that exercise within an hour or two of being bitten prevents these kinds of effects.” Laurel was brushing Felicity’s hair gently as she spoke in a low voice. “If I let Tommy feed outside of sex I drink a bottle of water and eat a sandwich before jumping on the treadmill for half an hour.”

“Outside sex?” Felicity questioned without turning her gaze from a water stain on the wall she had been concentrating on to keep her focus off the discomfort.

“Mm-hmm.” Laurel bit her lip, smiling to herself. “If Tommy feeds during sex I don’t have any side effects usually. Something about the hormones and brain chemicals all mixing just right. Or if I just let him have a nip every 12 hours it also staves off the symptoms…but then I feel a little high all day.” Her voice trailed off as she got lost in thought, her hands slowing in Felicity’s hair.

She turned her head slightly, catching Laurel’s attention. “So feeding is supposed to be sensual?”

Laurel thought about the question for a moment before answering. “For me it is, even if we’re fully clothed I feel like I had an orgasm with even just a small bite. And for Tommy it definitely is. But Tommy’s the only one who’s ever bitten me and Oliver always claimed that he never felt it. Sara always said that all she ever felt was a little drunk.” She gave a half-hearted shrug. “So maybe it varies by person.”

Felicity nodded and turned her focus back to the wall.

“Felicity? How did it feel for you?”

She thought about Oliver’s lips on her throat and couldn’t help but smile. “I can see why it’s addicting.”

Loud voices and the slamming front door made both women jump and turn their heads towards the closed bedroom door. Laurel had sent Tommy out for a heating pad to help with the cramping and chills, and to allow Oliver and Dig time to discuss how to tell him about his father’s potential involvement. Laurel had overheard the end of Felicity’s conversation with Oliver as she came into the living room to check on them. With Tommy still in the kitchen she’d quickly asked them not to tell him just yet. His relationship with Malcolm Merlyn wasn’t on good terms to begin with and she didn’t want him running headlong into making accusations against his father, especially if he actually was involved in the string of vampire murders that had plagued Starling the past 5 years. Felicity doubling over, suddenly feeling ill had been the excuse they needed to get him out of the house. She wasn’t sure if hoping the shouting was because of her father and not Tommy overhearing something he shouldn’t was any better an option for how the day should proceed.

“I’ll go check on the guys and the status of your heating pad. Okay?”

Felicity nodded. “Thanks, Laurel.” As the brunette stood from the bed Felicity reached out and grabbed her hand. “And I’m sorry about Sara.”

Laurel gave her a tight-lipped smile and squeezed her hand. “Me too.”

She closed the guestroom door quietly and headed down the hallway, registering Oliver’s exasperated pleas before she could recognize the loud female voice. “Speedy, it isn’t like that!”

“Like what, Ollie? Tell me, what am I thinking?”

“Thea!” Laurel was surprised to see her in the living room cornering her brother. Dig stood by the kitchen door with his arms crossed, observing the Queen siblings with a hint of amusement.

Thea turned quickly towards the hallway. “Laurel? What are you doing here?”

Laurel searched her brain for how to answer that very loaded question but before she could Tommy bounded in through the kitchen. He stopped quickly when he saw Thea and took in Oliver’s defensive stance. “Am I interrupting anything?”

Thea looked back and forth between Laurel and Tommy, and then up to her brother, the confusion clear on her face.

“Actually you’re just in time.” Laurel smiled at her boyfriend as she walked over and took the pharmacy bag from him. “I’ll take this in to Felicity.” As she walked back to the hall she turned around to address the room. “Oh, and if you can keep it down, she can use some more sleep.” She smiled broadly and turned quickly to escape back into the guest room.

Thea raised an eyebrow at Tommy. “Who’s Felicity?”

He chuckled and walked over to pat Oliver on the back. “You should ask your brother.”

A smile started to creep onto Thea’s face as she turned to look at Oliver, biting her lip. “Oh really?”

Oliver rolled his eyes and spoke through a half-clenched jaw. “She’s an old friend from high school who ran into some trouble last night. She’s safer here and needed Laurel’s help.”

“I thought I knew all of your old friends from high school?”

Tommy scoffed, causing Thea to glare at him. “Spill it, Merlyn.”

Oliver ran his hand over his face and admitted defeat by leaving the room. Thea’s voice followed him down the hallway. “Don’t think I forgot why I came over here to yell at you! Random donors at parties aren’t good for you!”

“Come on little Queen, I’ll buy you ice cream,” Tommy’s voice softly followed before the front door closed.

Oliver sighed and stood in front of the guest room door. His mind struggled with what to do next. Raising his hand to knock he heard the water running in the bathroom and assumed Laurel was filling the hot water bottle. Felicity needed rest. Because of what he did to her. Oliver groaned to himself and headed into his bedroom, showering and changing out of his sweatpants and back into jeans for the meeting with the elder Lance.

As he stepped out of his room he noted the quiet in the hall. Squeezing his eyes shut he took a deep breath and walked to the guestroom door, knocking softly. After a moment Laurel answered, opening the door enough for him to lean in. “Hey,” he said quietly. “How’s she feeling?”

“I’m feeling better,” Felicity answered as she turned to look over her shoulder at him.

Oliver smiled. “Sorry, I thought you might be asleep.”

Laurel opened the door further to allow him to step in. “I’m going to wait for my dad in the living room. Let me know if you need anything, Felicity.”

“Thank you.”

Laurel nodded as she left the room, closing the door behind her. Oliver slipped his hands into the back pockets of his jeans, feeling awkward. He was only partially relieved when Felicity rolled over to face him and broke the silence. “What was all the yelling about?”

Oliver grimaced. “Sorry about that. My sister saw some pictures of me online walking into the party at Helena’s. She hates those donor mixers and came by to knock some sense into me.”

Felicity huffed out a laugh. “Yeah, that party sucked.”

A smirk graced Oliver’s lips. “Well you’re not wrong. There _was_ sucking.” Felicity rolled her eyes while trying to hold in a laugh. When she frowned and furrowed her brow Oliver walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, wanting to comfort her but still holding back. “What is it?”

Felicity licked her lips and adjusted the heating pad against her stomach. “Did they kill anyone?”

Oliver took one of her hands in his, their fingers squeezing together. “I don’t know yet. Laurel’s dad is a cop so he’ll be able to tell us more than the papers right now.”

Felicity nodded but her focus was still elsewhere.

“Felicity.” Oliver enunciated each syllable, drawing her attention. “Something else bothering you?”

She dropped her gaze to their hands before pulling hers away and finding an interesting spot on the comforter to pick at. Oliver tilted his head, squinting his eyes at her but didn’t push. She cleared her throat and sat up against the headboard, placing the hot water bottle on the nightstand beside her.

“Oliver, what did it feel like when you bit me?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know, I was more concerned about your safety than the feeding,” he quickly lied.

“Oh,” she said quietly, wiping her hands on her knees in a nervous gesture.

He cleared his throat gently. “Why? What did it feel like for you?”

Felicity’s hands stilled and her eyes glazed over as she stared at them, lost in a thought as she smiled. “I think it would be described as euphoric.”

Oliver closed his eyes, trying not to think about her taste as her scent invaded his senses, making parts of his body wake up even more than they already were in her presence. He cleared his throat in an attempt to keep his voice even. “Like being high?”

She shook her head quickly and caught his gaze. “Like something intimate.”

Oliver stared at her, his body going stiff and numb. “Oh.”

Felicity nodded slowly. “Yeah.” They were both suddenly very aware of each other and every small movement they made. Oliver pulled himself up on the bed so that he could bend one leg, turning more towards her, and Felicity brought her legs up underneath herself so she could raise up on her knees as she tried to fill the tense space with conversation. “Laurel said that it’s normal, at least for her. And Tommy. And that it may vary. So if you didn’t feel it, too. That’s okay. I mean just because I felt one thing doesn’t mean everyone does. And by everyone I mean you. Of course. Because no one else has bitten me. Though I have done other things that made me feel like that. With other people. I mean. Because we haven’t done that. And I’m just sort of making this worse.” She took a stuttered breath and closed her eyes. “I think I should shut up now.”

When she opened her eyes Oliver was smiling at her. Goofily smiling at her. She tilted her head and squinted her eyes, silently entreating him to say something. Instead he took both of her hands in his and sighed. His shoulders relaxing as he stroked her fingers with his. “I’m sorry I had to hurt you, but I’m not sorry that I got to taste you.” His smile widened as he caught her gaze. “And yeah, I felt something, too. It was definitely a new experience for me.” He shrugged a shoulder, looking down at their hands shyly. Her smile made him feel like he hadn’t destroyed something after all and the moment was overwhelming him.

Felicity squeezed his hands and bit her lip. “Sooo…I think I understand the addiction part, you know, beside the withdrawal symptoms.”

Oliver’s smile fell, but he raised his eyebrows, encouraging her to continue. She shook her head and laughed, pulling her hands from his. “I can’t stop thinking about you doing it again.”

Oliver sat up straight and cleared his throat. “Once you get past the symptoms you’ll feel like yourself again.”

“But,” her voice is nearly a whisper and Oliver found himself leaning forward to hear her better. “What if I want you to bite me?”

He shook his head. “It’d be dangerous, Felicity. I could take too much and hurt you. I don’t trust myself.” He stopped talking before he could add ‘with you’, but she eyed him inquisitively, biting her lip.

“You keep alluding to the fact that you had a crush on me.”

Oliver’s clenched his lips inward and his eyes widened. “Hmm? What?”

Felicity smiled, remaining on her knees but leaning back against the headboard, relaxed and playful. “When you bit me you said you’d thought about doing it back then and over the last 10 years. Then in the living room you said your love life in high school was complicated. Because you were in love with someone. So, being a genius, I kind of put two and two together.”

Oliver closed his eyes and shook his head. “Felicity…”

“It’s okay, Oliver. I had a crush on you back then, too.”

Oliver quickly raised his head to look at her. A small breath passing his lips as what she said finally registered.

She wasn’t sure where her confidence had come from, but she embraced it. Her life had changed overnight and she wasn’t going to shirk away from what she’d wanted, who she’d wanted, since she was a teenager. “And I still kinda do.”

Those words were all it took to break whatever resolve he had, because she wanted him. She had always wanted him. He knew her taste and she wanted him to know it better. Oliver’s mind focused with a sudden clarity on one thing, Felicity. But this was the very reaction she was hoping for and she was already leaning towards him before he could get on his knees to reach for her, their lips crashing against each other with purpose as their hands found each other’s backs to pull the other in. Their breaths mingled as their lips parted in sync, sharing warmth and urgency between them. But just as their tongues wrapped around one another and one of his hands settled on her hip a knock at the door broke them apart.

Breathing in heavily through his nose Oliver kissed Felicity’s forehead before responding, “Yeah?”

“My dad’s here.” Laurel’s voice was muffled by the door. How she knew not to open it just now Felicity wasn’t sure but she was thankful given that they were both still kneeling on the bed, holding tightly to one another.

Oliver cleared his throat. “Okay, we’ll be right there.” He sighed and looked down to find Felicity’s gaze already searching for his. Smiling he kissed her lips softly. “We should revisit this conversation later.”

She nodded, running her hands down his arms, her smile broadening when he shivered from her touch. “We do have so much to…talk…about.”

Her scent seemed to flood the room with her suggestive comment and for the first time Oliver’s doubt about being with the amazing blonde in front of him wasn’t centered on whether he would hurt her. He simply wondered if he was man enough to keep up with a woman like Felicity Smoak.


	5. Remember

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Detective Lance offers some disturbing information and Sara pays an unexpected visit.

Quentin Lance came from a long line of hunters. His family had been keeping the vampire families in check and away from humans as far back as the stories themselves. Laurel and Sara’s great-grandfather had helped set up one of the early blood bag exchanges on the West coast. And even now when the vampire families prevented misguided feedings and deviants among their own ranks, Quentin had become a cop to keep an eye out for problems. But the last 5 years had been difficult, with murders and blood rituals that the vampires Quentin’s own family trusted couldn’t stop. So when his forcibly turned daughter’s vampire ex-boyfriend he’d once caught sucking on her wrist in his unfinished basement walked into the living room with a blonde sporting a nasty bruise on her neck, he nearly pulled his gun.

“Queen, please tell me that bite wasn’t you.”

Oliver stopped in his tracks, his hand on Felicity’s shoulder. She could feel his fingers gripping her for support and didn’t have to look at him to know he felt guilty.

“Dad!” Laurel reprimanded him from the couch where she sat next to Tommy.

“No, Laurel. If you had a bruise like that I’d shoot Merlyn where he stands. Queen’s lucky I haven’t pulled my gun yet.”

“He did it to save me.”

Quentin turned towards the woman he had been called here to talk to. “Care to explain how tearing a hole in your neck accomplished that?”

Felicity took Oliver’s hand from her shoulder and laced their fingers together to pull him towards the couch, effectively blocking him from Detective Lance with her own body. “If you promise not to shoot him I’ll let him tell you.”

Tommy and Laurel both snorted, suppressing the laughter they knew wouldn’t be helpful. Dig stood stoically by the kitchen door but adjusted his arms and cracked his neck in an attempt to hide his amusement. Oliver simply smiled and shook his head, his tense posture easing as Felicity took charge and led him to sit opposite his friends.

Lance rolled his eyes but sat next to Laurel, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. “So you must be Felicity Smoak.”

The blonde nodded. “And you must be Laurel’s dad.”

Quentin nodded. “Detective is fine.” He turned his attention back to Oliver. “I’ve been told we’ve got a lead?”

Oliver nodded. “Helena Bertinelli.”

Lance scoffed. “So? What about her?”

“She threw a party at her house last night. Supposedly a donor-vampire mixer. But she invited Felicity without telling her what it was, attempted to mesmerize her, and then chased after her when we left. I imagine you have a few fresh bodies today given the screaming we heard as we escaped.”

Lance hung his head and sighed, nodding slightly. “Seven actually. All except one found within a mile of the Bertinelli estate but in different directions.”

“And the exception?” Felicity asked.

“Floated down the river to the treatment plant.” Lance looked up, catching Felicity’s gaze. “Now will you tell me what happened to your neck?”

“Concealment,” Oliver responded tersely.

Lance raised an eyebrow. “Concealment? How does a bleeding wound do _that_?”

Felicity looked between Oliver and the detective, trying to determine if speaking up would be helpful. Something she wasn’t a part of was going on here and she didn’t want to make it worse. She looked to Tommy and Laurel for cues but they simply shook their heads.

‘Not saying anything it is then,’ Felicity thought to herself.

“Scent and claim,” Oliver gritted out between his teeth.

Lance’s disgust showed on his face, squinting his eyes and pursing his lips. “You vampires and your damn senses. Scent. Taste. Humans couldn’t hide from you if they tried. And that bothers me!” His voice got louder as he continued, “How many others have ended up like my baby girl? How many are they adding to their numbers as they eat my city? More and more humans are being killed every month by more and more of your kind!”

“They aren’t my kind,” Oliver yelled back.

“At least tell me she knew what she was getting into when you sunk your fangs into her!”

“Okay,” Felicity shouted, holding her arm up to get the men’s attention. “Her is right here. And yes, Detective, Oliver gave me a quick summary of what he had to do and I agreed to it. Given the circumstances I didn’t feel I had a choice and there have been side effects he may have neglected to mention, but I still agreed. Voluntarily.” She clipped her words to ensure her point was being made. “That he should do what he had to to save me from Helena. Clear?”

Quentin nodded and the room grew quiet.

Tommy eyed everyone before clearing his throat. “So are we going to go stake Helena or try to get information from her first?”

Oliver glared at his best friend. “I don’t stake them, Tommy.”

“My bad, shoot arrows at them until one hits the right spot, which is usually where one would stake them if we were those kinds of vampires.”

“Arrows?” Felicity asked no one in particular, hoping someone would answer the question without starting another yelling match.

Tommy nodded. “Yeah, my buddy here has chosen archery as his weapon of choice against the evil in our fair city.”

Oliver sighed. “It gives me a long range advantage. I can hide and still take them out, or avoid hand to hand with more difficult vampires.” He turned towards Felicity to explain. “Vampires can be killed like anyone else, but because of our strength it takes a little extra force than it would for a human. I use a special composite shaft that made vampires are sensitive to and that is strong enough to break through the chest of a born vampire. I can hit the heart accurately and not put myself in danger.”

Felicity raised an eyebrow. “Why would you be going after vampires?”

“Since my daughter,” Lance answered for him. Oliver glanced at the detective and gave him a quick nod, letting him know it was alright to continue. “They almost killed Oliver that night when they took her. And again when we found her. But we were too late. So the ones who came after him, we went after them before they could do it again.”

Oliver picked up where Lance left off, avoiding Felicity's gaze as he spoke, “We knew it wouldn’t bring Sara back but it could prevent them from turning others.” His voice was thick, anticipating judgment. “At first we only tried to scare them, but it didn’t take long to realize that the only thing we could do is kill them.”

“Problem is we’ve only been thinning the lower ranks,” the detective sighed.

Felicity squeezed his hand. When his eyes met hers there was no disgust or fear, only the wetness of unshed tears. Her support made him want to tell her everything. “Also, I wanted to find out why they killed my dad.”

She shook her head, not understanding.

“I saw vampires kill my dad in his study. I didn’t think they saw me, but maybe they did given what happened to Sara not long after.”

“Oliver.” Felicity’s voice was quiet as she cupped his face, forgetting that they had an audience.

He leaned into her hand, licking his lips before continuing. “I think he was trying to stop all of this, and now I need to.”

“Not on your own you’re not,” Lance quickly added. “The Bertinellis are powerful, and if what Laurel told me about Felicity’s run in with Sara is any indication, they’ve got Malcolm behind them.”

Tommy sat up, his eyes darting quickly between his friends. “Wait, what? My father’s a part of this?”

Quentin glared at his daughter. “You didn’t tell him?”

Laurel rubbed her hands on her thighs, purposefully avoiding Tommy’s eyes. “I was going to.”

“Tell me what? Laurel, what don’t I know?” Tommy asked through a clenched jaw. Felicity saw a hint of fang starting to descend.

‘Emotional response, interesting,’ she thought to herself.

Laurel flinched but answered calmly. “Earlier this afternoon Felicity told Oliver something about running into Sara and that she’d put her in contact with your dad for a job. I overheard and didn’t tell you.”

“Your sister and my father are connected and you didn’t think I should know?” Tommy yelled as he stood, slowly backing away from where she sat on the couch.

A tear ran down Laurel’s cheek as she tried to grab Tommy’s hand. “It’s not like that, Tommy.”

He turned and walked quickly and purposefully out the front door.

“Tommy!” Laurel yelled as she followed him, slamming the door behind her making Felicity jump.

Quentin shook his head. “Don’t mind them. They’ll work it out, they always do. Laurel’s a lot like her mother. She thinks controlling information is a way to look out for people. But me, I think putting it all out there is for the best. At least then everyone knows what they’re in for. If it’s going to hurt now, it’s going to hurt later so why put it off and add to it.”

Felicity smiled. “My mom would’ve agreed with you.”

For the first time since they had walked into the living room the detective smiled.

Oliver cleared his throat. “Detective Lance, did you get anything on the other problem Laurel told you about.”

“Son, what did I just say about putting it all out there?” Lance rolled his eyes as he reached a hand out towards Diggle. “John, can you hand me the file I left on the kitchen table?”

Dig nodded and returned quickly, handing him the folder and sitting next to him on the now otherwise unoccupied couch.

“Miss Smoak, I won’t be cryptic like your friend here.” Oliver rolled his eyes but Quentin continued without acknowledging him, “This file is from the Bludhaven PD. My daughter told me that your mother died in an accident in Bludhaven around the time Sara visited you a few years ago. Is that correct?”

Felicity nodded.

He sighed. “Well I’m sorry to inform you, but it wasn’t an accident. She was killed by a vampire. Rather hastily, too. So I recommend staying away from the medical report. But I did bring the police report about the incident surrounding her death, just in case it helps.”

Felicity stopped breathing and the room swam in front of her. “What?” Oliver squeezed her hand but she pulled away and pushed herself forward on the edge of the couch to take the file from Detective Lance.

He handed it to her with a grimace. “I’m really hoping it wasn’t Sara, but I don’t know if that’s something we’ll ever be able to tell.”

She opened the file and started reading. Oliver placed a hand on her back in an attempt to comfort her but she shook him off, standing to pace by the windows as she read. Oliver frowned, running his hand over his face and attempting to stand as Dig shook his head. “Not now, man. Let her deal,” his friend said softly.

Oliver sat back down, catching an unexpected look from the detective. “She’ll let you know when she needs you.”

Oliver simply nodded and watched Felicity as she read the report about her mother’s accident.

“I don’t understand.” Felicity turned from the window to address them after re-reading the file multiple times. “They say they have no idea what happened. But they ruled it an accident. No evidence of anything actually happening to injure her.”

Quentin nodded. “Yeah, we see reports like this sometimes. Rookie cops who don’t know to look for something a little less normal. Or a vampire trying to cover their tracks. If you want I can look into the reporting officer. There aren’t any hunters in Bludhaven, so I’d have to do the check myself, it might take a few days. But there aren’t any vampire families either, so there could be some deviants.”

Felicity nodded. “Please let me know what you find. In the meantime I’ll check for other reports of similar _accidents_ ,” she emphasized the word and rolled her eyes.

Quentin chuckled. “And how exactly are you going to do that? I don’t think Queen will let you go all the way to Bludhaven with the Bertinellis after you.”

Felicity smiled. “I just need wifi and a few minutes.”

Quentin sighed. “So you’re saying that I don’t want to know. And you’re right.” He stood up and walked towards the door. “That particular file is yours. Laurel has my number if you find something before I do. Oh, and Queen.” Lance stopped at the door and turned around. “Don’t get yourself killed out there.”

Oliver clenched his lips and nodded, extending an arm to shake the detective’s hand. “You, too.”

**

As dusk fell Tommy and Laurel drove back to their apartment in silence. After fighting in hushed whispers in Oliver’s driveway for nearly an hour Laurel spent quite a bit of time crying in the bathroom. She felt like just as she got her emotions under control and her face washed she’d think of something they’d said and the tears would start fresh. She knew better than to keep things from Tommy. He hated being treated with kid gloves, especially when it came to his father, and Laurel had once again poked that bruise.

Staring out the car window thinking about the course the afternoon had taken Laurel felt the tears starting fresh again. She felt Tommy take her hand as she sniffled, rubbing her palm with his thumb.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I didn’t mean…” Laurel tried to apologize but stopped with a sob.

Tommy just squeezed her hand tighter and sighed. “I know, Laurel. I know you were just trying to control the circumstances but you can’t always do that. Especially when it’s something like this.”

Laurel nodded and wiped under her eyes with her other hand, turning the one Tommy was holding over so she could entwine their fingers.

“You know how I am with my dad.”

Laurel sniffled, her voice thick from crying. “That’s exactly why. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Tommy sighed and brought her hand up to kiss her knuckles. “As much as I love you for trying to protect me, let me decide for myself how I feel about things, okay? I promise I won’t run headlong into danger without running it by you first.” Tommy squeezed her hand and quickly glanced her way as he pulled into their parking spot. “That’s Ollie’s job.”

A small smile broke out on Laurel’s face and Tommy grinned. “There it is. That’s my girl.”

Laurel caught his gaze as he dropped her hand to put the car in park. “I know I keep making the same mistake, Tommy, and I don’t mean to.”

Tommy shook his head. “We’ve been around and around on this. The air is clear for now so all we can do is move forward and try to be better.”

Laurel nodded. “I’ll try, baby, I really will.”

Tommy smiled. “I know, sweetheart. And I’ll try to remember that you only have my best interests at heart.”

She smiled this time as she nodded more emphatically. “I really do.”

They both leaned forward for a slow soft kiss, pulling apart only to lean their foreheads together. “Let’s get inside. A warm bath would be nice, for both of us.” Tommy winked as he opened his door to exit the car.

As they walked into the lobby of their building hand in hand Laurel stopped suddenly, causing Tommy’s steps to falter. Before he could ask what was wrong, she spoke. “Sara?”

Tommy quickly looked to where his girlfriend’s eyes were focused, a dark alcove at the base of the stairs. Standing in the shadows was a blonde he hadn’t seen in 5 years. Her eyes darker and skin paler than he remembered. Her scent coated the back of his throat with the stench of death all made vampires carry.

“Is…” Sara stuttered, wringing her hands, trying to gain her composure. Taking a deep breath she tried again. “Is Felicity okay?”


	6. Renegades

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sara doesn't answer as many questions as they'd like, and Oliver and Felicity share a connection that's been simmering for a decade. (Obligatory sexual content warning)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I posted this chapter sooner than usual because it's going to be a little longer before the next update, and without major plot movement in this one I figured it was okay to just put it out there. Don't worry, the beginning of the next chapter has plenty to make the slightly longer break between chapters worth it. For now, enjoy ;)

Sara Lance wandered around her sister’s living room, taking in the photos of the life she’d left behind as Laurel sat in a chair watching her, her hands trembling. She leaned her leg against Tommy’s, taking in the support he offered by standing close. He had refused to sit, choosing to stand beside Laurel, ready to defend her if need be. Sara may be family, but Tommy couldn’t be sure of what she’d done, where she’d been, or who might be pulling her strings.

Sara picked up a frame from the middle of a shelf and turned with a smile on her face. “I hate it that I’ve missed so many birthdays. Dad looks like he enjoyed turning 50.”

Laurel smiled warily. “He hated it. But he loved the party, probably because we convinced Mom to come.”

Sara placed the frame back in its place and made her way to another chair, slowly sitting down and allowing the room to fill with silence.

Tommy cleared his throat. “Not that it isn’t great to see you, Sara, but what are you doing here? And why did you ask about Felicity?”

Sara nodded and Tommy noticed she was attempting not to fidget as she ran her fangs back and forth across her lower lip. Something wasn’t right.

“I didn’t know what they were planning. Not until I walked in on them fighting about her.”

“Who, Sara?” Tommy’s voice was gruff, making both women flinch.

She responded quickly, picking at the frayed hem of her shirt and ignoring the question, “Is she okay? Do you know where she is?”

Laurel opened her mouth to answer but Tommy’s hand on her shoulder stopped her. “No, Sara,” He responded casually. “We haven’t seen Felicity in 10 years. Didn’t even know she was back in Starling.”

Sara stopped her nervous movements and quickly caught Tommy’s gaze. A smile trying to quirk up her lips. “That’s…a shame.”

The blonde stood and quickly headed for the door. “Let me leave you my number in case you run into her. I’d love to have lunch with her.” She winked and handed Tommy a slip of paper before running out the door.

“Sara?!” Laurel jumped up from the couch but her boyfriend stopped her, holding her to back to his chest and whispering in her ear.

“Let her go for now, Laur. Something’s up.”

Laurel nodded, laying her head on his shoulder so they could both read Sara’s quickly scribbled note above a phone number written in someone else’s handwriting.

_War among the families. Helena’s personal vendetta._

**

Thea arrived back at her brother’s house carrying a duffel bag stuffed with clothes and shoes shortly after Tommy and Laurel left. “There are already hygiene products here from the times I stay over in the guest room but I figured you’d want something other than the laundry I left here last week to choose from,” the young brunette greeted Felicity as she threw the duffel on the couch.

“Also,” she continued before Felicity could respond, “I’ll be staying here to help ensure your safety for the next night or two so I needed some clothes, too.”

The blonde smiled at who she was pretty certain was Oliver’s sister, taken aback by the acceptance and generosity she’d received from the people in his life. In 24 hours they’d taken her in as one of their own, and being around Oliver made her feel like the last 10 years hadn’t happened. But then what Thea said registered and she frowned. “You stay in the guest room?”

Thea nodded. “Yeah.”

“And you’re staying tonight?”

“Uh huh,” she answered.

Dig’s hand on Felicity’s shoulder made her jump and she threw her hand over her heart. “Oh my god, you vampires have got to stop being so sneaky quiet.”

He chuckled. “I’m not a vampire, Felicity.”

“Oh.” She scrunched her eyebrows. “Really?”

He nodded, holding back a smile. “I just wanted to reassure you that Oliver is planning on sleeping on the couch. So you or Thea will have his room and the other the guest room.”

Felicity twisted slightly to look up at him from Oliver’s laptop, which she had been working on before Thea arrived. “Where do you sleep?”

“I have a cot in the security room in the basement that I use when I need to stay over.”

Thea threw the duffel over her shoulder before heading towards the hallway. “Do you mind if I take the guest room? If someone comes looking for you Ollie’s scent in his room and mine where you’ve been sleeping will help mask your presence.”

Felicity stared at the young brunette. “Uh, sure. That makes sense actually. Or at least as much sense as any of this makes right now.”

Thea huffed a small laugh. “I like you. I hope he keeps you around.” She then turned to take the bag to her room, disappearing for the evening.

Felicity continued looking through police reports from the Bludhaven PD system, having hacked into it just after Detective Lance left. Nothing was coming together yet, but there had been a string of similar accidents affecting blondes in their 40s around the time her mother died. Dig sat on the couch across from her answering questions about wounds and the potential weapons that caused them whenever something in a report struck Felicity as suspicious.

She had compiled a rather lengthy file to review with fresh eyes when Oliver stepped into the living room, his cell phone to his ear. “Okay, Tommy, thanks. See you in the morning.”

The two occupants of the room looked up at him inquisitively as he ended the call. “Sara paid Tommy and Laurel a visit, asking about Felicity.”

Felicity’s eyes widened but Dig spoke up, “They didn’t tell her anything did they?”

Oliver shook his head. “Tommy said it was pretty clear that she was there on someone else’s persuasion. But she did get them a note indicating she might not be doing whatever this is willingly. And we have a phone number that Helena or whoever wanted us to have.”

“Ooh,” Felicity perked up. “What is it? I can find out who it belongs to and if it’s a cell number get the GPS coordinates.”

Oliver smiled softly. “You can do that?”

She feigned hurt. “I can’t believe you even have to ask that.”

Dig snorted. “Well it’s obvious that Sara was their move for the evening and last night was a short one so I’m going to get some rest while it’s quiet. Thea’s in the guest room and I’ll be downstairs. Let me know if you change your mind about going out there tonight.”

Oliver gave the man a quick cuff on the shoulder as he walked past. “Thanks, but I think letting Helena wear herself out first will give us an advantage. So I’m still planning on staying in.” Dig nodded and headed for the basement door.

The room grew quiet after Dig left. Oliver stood awkwardly just inside the door from the kitchen and the glow from the laptop illuminated Felicity’s face in the low lit room. She cleared her throat. “So, uh, that phone number?”

Oliver shook his head and walked over to the couch. “Oh, Tommy’s bringing the note over in the morning. They might be watching the apartment and him coming here right after Sara’s visit may be a bit too obvious. We also don’t know if anyone’s listening in so everything he told me was coded – the phone number would have been a giveaway.”

“Oh,” Felicity turned back to the laptop. “I can encrypt your phones for you, make sure we don’t have eavesdroppers.”

As her fingers worked their magic Oliver found himself grinning at the blonde in front of him. She looked so much like the teenager he’d spent hours watching in high school. Young and curious, taming the world around her. He was chased from his memories by Felicity calling his name. “Earth to Oliver.”

“Hmm?” He raised his eyebrows.

She laughed. “I’ve said your name a couple times and you’ve got a goofy grin on your face. Everything okay?”

He smiled. “Yeah, everything’s fine.”

“Really?” She tilted her head to one side and batted her eyelashes. “Because I think you were staring at me.”

He folded his hands together and looked at them shyly. “Uh, since Thea’s in the guest room you can take my room tonight. I’ll just…” He stood up and started to head towards the hallway. “I’ll just get an extra blanket and pillow from my closet for the couch.”

As he walked into his large walk-in closet he heard Felicity’s voice following him into the bedroom. “Thank you for letting me use your laptop. If I’m still here on Monday I’ll probably need it to keep on top of work, too.”

Oliver moved aside a box on an upper shelf to get to the extra blankets piled behind it. “Sure, no problem.”

“And,” this time her voice came from inside the closet, causing him to turn quickly. “You don’t need to sleep on the couch.”

He nodded, then shook his head, not sure of what he was trying to convey. “No, no, it’s okay. You need a good night’s rest.”

Felicity smiled and gave him a half-shrug. “Why can’t we both get a good night’s rest?”

Oliver held his breath and swallowed, attempting to keep his composure but her scent floated around him and he had never found anyone as intoxicating as Felicity.

“Besides.” She took a step towards him and ran her hand along the shirts hanging beside her. “We didn’t finish our conversation earlier.” She had only been planning on thanking him for everything, but once she was in the bedroom she couldn’t stop voicing what she was thinking. She felt comfortable with Oliver, and with everything else so crazy and out of her control this was something she could take charge on.

He opened and closed his mouth as if to say something but nothing came out. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, his fangs slowly descending. He knew she saw them when her breath hitched, causing the tight control in his body to relax.

“Felicity, what are you suggesting?” His voice was low and rumbled through the air, causing her to shiver slightly. If the smirk that appeared on his face was any indication he had noticed the effect he had on her.

“You should sleep in your bed like you do every night.” She spoke slowly. “And if I happen to also be in your bed then maybe we can…talk…like we tried to earlier.”

Their gazes met and he nodded, stepping towards her. “I usually sleep in my boxers. Should I make special considerations for the fact that I may not be alone tonight?”

Felicity bit her lip and couldn’t stop herself from scanning his body, noticing the rather evident effect she was having on him. “Not if you mind that I usually sleep naked.” She turned quickly to leave the closet, her ponytail narrowly missing his face.

He cursed to himself and sighed as he heard the bathroom door shut and the shower start. The short interaction in the closet had been enough for him to get an erection, which he hadn’t noticed until just now. ‘But she did,’ he thought to himself, thinking about how she’d eyed him before having the last word. He smiled and shook his head to clear it, heading back to the living room to do one final security check before joining Felicity in his room for, ‘well, whatever she wants,’ he thought.

He heard the television in the guest room, meaning that Thea had settled in as usual. He checked the alarms and locks, grabbing his phone and putting it on vibrate before heading back into his room. Despite her insinuations in the closet he found Felicity laying on his bed in a t-shirt, her wet hair tied loosely in a bun.

“Hey,” she said shyly as he closed the door and set his phone on the dresser.

“Hey,” he returned quietly. “I was just making sure everything’s locked up.”

She smiled. “I thought you might still be hiding in the closet.”

Oliver quirked an eyebrow and stepped towards the bed. “Hiding from what?”

Felicity sat up and moved towards the end of the bed on her knees. “Me.”

He took her hands in his and held her gaze. “Why would I be hiding from you?”

“Because you’re scared.” She whispered as she laced their fingers together. Something about this woman reached into the core of his being. It comforted and jolted him all at once.

Oliver nodded, squeezing their hands together, the playfulness changing into something more intimate. “Terrified.”

She tilted her head. “Of what?”

He sighed. “Hurting you. I…I dreamt once, that I had drained you and it haunted me for weeks.”

Felicity released one of his hands to bring hers to the back of his neck. “You would never do that, Oliver.” She looked into his eyes intently, determined to let him know this was what she wanted. “I can handle the side effects, and I trust you.”

His free hand settled on her lower back, his fingers sweeping down towards the swell of her ass. The thumbs on their joined hands unconsciously battled one another in anticipation. Felicity hummed as she leaned forward, her forehead resting on Oliver’s chin. Kissing the top of her head he caught Felicity’s scent mingling with his body wash, causing his groin to tense.

She giggled and stroked the back of his head.

“What’s funny?”

Felicity raised her head to look at him. “We haven’t done anything yet but, well, I definitely have an effect on you.” She glanced her eyes downward towards the evident bulge in the front of his pants.

Oliver huffed. “Yes, you do.” He brushed his hand down one of her butt cheeks, groaning when he didn’t feel any underwear. She bit her lip and smiled smugly. “What are we going to do about this effect, Miss Smoak?”

Feigning seriousness Felicity brought both of her hands to Oliver’s shoulders. “Whatever you think will work the best, Mr. Queen.”

He surprised a squeak from her as he grabbed the underside of both of her thighs to swing her legs out from under her, pushing her back on the bed and bending forward to capture her lips with his. Felicity’s legs wrapped Oliver’s hips as their tongues met. His hands made their way up under her shirt and hers found purchase on his shoulders and in his hair.

“I was told you’d have fewer clothes on,” she said breathlessly as he nibbled her earlobe.

He chuckled but pulled back to remove his shirt. The scars on his torso caught her off guard, but the well defined abs quickly stole her attention. Heat surged through her at the sight and she reached up to pull his face back towards hers. They slowly moved themselves fully onto the bed, her shirt and his pants making their way to the floor. Hands and lips found pleasure points with hushed moans urging them on.

As Oliver leaned over to the bedside table to fish out a condom from the drawer Felicity traced the pattern of a scar on his outer thigh. “Where did all of these scars come from?”

“Found one!” He held up the foil packet in triumph causing her to giggle before he answered her question, “Fighting vampires isn’t easy, even as one myself. I’ve had a lot of close calls.”

Felicity frowned, cupping his face with her other hand. “Promise me you’ll be careful.”

Oliver planted a hard kiss on her swollen lips. “I’ll do whatever I have to to protect you.”

She smiled and thrust her hips into his. “Speaking of protection.”

“Ooh, impatient.” He growled, only causing her smile to broaden.

She nodded. “Yes, very.” Felicity reached for the waistband of his boxers, attempting to push them down.

Oliver jumped off the bed to remove the offending fabric and rolled on the condom before resituating himself between her legs. She watched his face as he tested her wetness, moaning when she felt him stroke inside her and again when he brought his finger up to his mouth. “I want to know all your tastes, Felicity.”

She nodded frantically and raised her upper body to meet his mouth with hers. “Fuck me right now, Oliver, and you can taste me however you want.”

Their bodies took over on instinct, seeking each other out. Their breaths and moans mingling as each chased the sensations taking hold. A feeling of completion greeted her each time her body shuddered from his efforts. After her first orgasm his hips slowed and she felt his teeth on her throat, gently scraping as his tongue followed until he found a spot that made her arch up against him. He held her upper body under her shoulders to position her comfortably with her head tilted back, nuzzling her with his nose to breathe in her scent. “Relax,” he whispered as his hips stopped.

Felicity took a deep breath, relaxing into the feeling of him being buried inside her and releasing tension she didn’t realize she’d been holding.

“Look at me, Felicity.”

She opened her eyes to see his staring back at her. He held her gaze as he dipped his head, breaking it only to look down at the spot he’d chosen on the uninjured side of her neck. He pulled back her shoulders, causing her head to fall back and offer him better access. His tongue on her flesh made her moan and when he bit down just as his hips thrust sharply she gasped.

Felicity’s blood on Oliver’s tongue did things to his body he had never experienced before. His groin felt tighter and his mind swam in constant bliss. Her little moans and whimpers spurred on both his hips and mouth. As she came a second time he could taste the rush in her blood, pushing his own body over the edge. As he suckled the bite to help it close without bruising he knew that this was something he wanted to experience over and over again.

Their sweaty bodies lay splayed across each other as they caught their breaths. Both content and weary. When Oliver got up to discard the condom he caught Felicity staring. Stopping near the edge of the bed he eyed her in return. She bit her lip and giggled, causing him to chuckle. “What are you thinking?” His voice was low and raspy, causing her body to heat again.

“You’re very handsome,” she responded matter-of-factly.

“And you’re very beautiful,” he replied, kissing her neck softly as they snuggled together.


	7. In the morning light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next morning (Warning: sexual content)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a shorter chapter than usual simply because this has been written for some time but I've been too busy to work on editing what comes next plot-wise. Why hold out on you when this lovely stuff was all ready to go? So you get a fun chapter today :)

Oliver woke slowly to Felicity’s scent infiltrating his senses, his fangs already descending in the rush it caused through his body. He rolled over to find her on her back, the bed sheet kicked to her feet and an arm thrown over her head. It was dark, but the bit of moonlight filtering through the curtains put her nakedness on display, her nipples peaked from the chill. He ran his hand gently under her breasts, feeling her heart beating in her chest. Smiling as she sighed in her sleep he leaned down to place a kiss on her hip.

She shifted her legs slightly, letting the flavors of her scent from their earlier climaxes coat his throat. His dick hardened at the thoughts crossing his mind and he hesitated only a moment before indulging in them, scooting his body lower on the bed and nuzzling his nose along her pubic bone.

“Mmmm, cold.” Felicity’s voice was quiet and husky with sleep as her arms crossed her chest in an effort to warm herself.

“I’ll warm you up,” he murmured along her skin as he let his hands wander to her inner thighs, gently stroking them to coax her legs open. He felt her tense as she finally woke but didn’t stop kissing his way across and down to where he wanted to be, shifting his body down the bed.

“Oliver?”

He chuckled. “Expecting someone else?”

“What,” she choked out, swallowing thickly before continuing. “What are you doing?”

“Tasting you. You promised I could do it however I want.”

“Oh.” Her breath hitched as he settled his shoulders between her knees, kissing her thighs. He could hear her heart beat faster as the blood rushed through the vessels in the soft flesh surrounding him. Oliver shifted his hips to accommodate the effect it had on him and ran his fangs along his lower lip.

“Felicity, your blood tastes like nothing I’ve ever had before.” He licked a spot on her inner thigh. “May I?”

“Umm.” She cleared her throat. “Oh, you want to bite? Yeah, okay.”

He huffed in amusement, the touch of his breath flushing her body with desire. “ _First._ I want to taste your blood before you come this time.”

She felt the heat rise in her cheeks and ran her fingers through his hair. “Oh god, yes.”

Oliver lifted her knee over his shoulder, bringing his hand around to tilt her upper leg into position, his other arm holding her hips down. He nuzzled and breathed her in, relishing the moment before sinking his teeth into the nectar he knew his body would never be satisfied without.

Felicity arched her back as much as she could with his weight on her, bending her other leg at the knee and planting her foot on the mattress for leverage. The euphoric wave hit her, making her forget about the expectations she’d had when she woke to find him between her legs. She had been able to restrain herself earlier, considerate of the presence of others in the house, but her still sleepy mind knew nothing but her and Oliver, allowing loud moans to escape her throat. They only spurred him on, his tongue lapping at her and his teeth entering her yet again as stars dotted her vision.

She didn’t realize he’d closed the wound until he placed her other leg over his other shoulder and changed his focus to tasting her in other ways. As he used his mouth on her Felicity lost control of her own body, panting and bucking as she gripped the short hair on his head in desperation. Oliver’s hums of enjoyment against her sensitive flesh pushed her over the edge and held her there.

He continued to tease her with his fingers, not wanting to stop the small quakes of pleasure that coursed through her body after her initial fall over the edge. After a while she started to giggle sleepily when she shivered from the contact. “That feels so good, Oliver.”

He smiled, kissing her stomach as he rested his head on her ribcage. “I like making you feel good.”

“Mm-hmm.” She nodded and closed her eyes, throwing her head back as another pleasure ripple passed through her. “But it’s your turn,” she nearly panted, breathless from his attention.

He shook his head. “I’m pretty sure we used my only condom. I’m okay with this being about you, especially since I fed.”

She leaned down and captured his lips with hers. Grasping his wrist she pulled it away from between her legs and laid herself along his body to gain access to his neck, kissing from his hairline to his ear. Her hand reached between them, stroking his erection. “Then I get to taste you, too.”

She grinned when he groaned. “Lay on your back, Oliver.”

He nodded and quickly complied. Felicity kneeled between his thighs, sending him over the edge with her mouth.

The next time Oliver woke it was to pale early morning light and the sound of the shower. He rolled over to find the other side of the bed empty. As he tied his robe around his waist he heard soft knocking on his bedroom door and found his sister on the other side.

“Morning, Ollie.” She raised her eyebrow and grinned, taking in his disheveled appearance and faint traces of blood around his lips. “You weren’t on the couch.”

Oliver smiled shyly and huffed out a laugh. “We uh, had to talk, about a few things. Must’ve fallen asleep.”

Thea faked a serious look and tilted her head towards the half-eaten plate of fruit and cheese next to Felicity’s glasses on his dresser. “So there wasn’t any midnight snacking going on last night?”

Oliver clenched his lips inward and rolled his eyes. “What do you want, Speedy?”

She dropped the inquisition and smiled. “Tommy will be here in about an hour. Figured you’d want time to clean up.”

He grimaced and nodded. “Thank you.” He was about to close the door when Thea’s brows furrowed and she started sniffing the air. “What is it?”

The question seemed to catch her off guard. “Uh, nothing. Just that. Her scent. It’s everywhere.”

Oliver frowned. “Thea, that’s none of your bus…”

“No, Ollie. Human scent. Covering yours!”

Oliver squinted at her. “Really?”

His sister nodded. “Usually Laurel smells like Tommy so I expected…” She trailed off as the blonde in question came out of the bathroom in only a towel.

“Oh, sorry. Hi, Thea.”

The brunette smiled warmly at her. “Morning, Felicity. I was just letting Ollie know that Tommy will be here in an hour. I’ve made coffee and Dig is getting breakfast.”

Oliver closed the door as his sister left them alone to get dressed. What she’d said about Felicity’s scent didn’t make sense based on everything they knew about differences in human and vampire physiology, but he didn’t notice anything different about her, her scent was just _more present_. Still facing the door he startled when a hand touched his back.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah, just something Thea said about your scent.” He tugged her towards him for a hug when she frowned. “It’s not anything bad, just that she expected mine to cover it.”

Felicity bit her lip. “It’s kind of creepy that everyone can smell me.”

He smiled and kissed her, coaxing her mouth with his tongue when she wrapped her arms around his neck. Laughing when he groaned as they pulled apart she stroked the back of his neck lovingly. “Thank you for getting me some food last night. I feel pretty good this morning, no side effects this time.”

He nuzzled her nose. “Good.” He kissed her quickly again before stepping away. “You should get some breakfast though. I’m going to shower.” She nodded and he haphazardly tossed his robe towards the bed, winking at her as he closed the bathroom door.

Felicity shivered and bit her lip trying to convince herself that one shower was enough for today.

**

Tommy and Laurel arrived at Oliver’s earlier than they intended, but after a fitful night they were ready to figure out what Sara’s visit meant the moment the sunrise breached the horizon. Detective Lance had already left for Bludhaven to follow-up on leads and Tommy refused to let Laurel stay at the apartment alone. The sun may deter Sara, but it wouldn’t stop Helena. Until they figured this thing out it was better safe than sorry when it came to the woman he loved.

When the couple knocked on the kitchen door, Thea greeted them with a sunny smile. “Didn’t my brother give you a key, Tommy?”

“He did,” Tommy replied with a smile, “but I only use it to snoop when he’s not home.”

The young woman rolled her eyes and walked away from the door, gesturing towards the kitchen counter. “We’ve got breakfast and coffee. Fill a plate and join us in the living room.”

As Thea came back into the living room from answering the door Felicity scrunched her nose. Something smelled funny, but she couldn’t quite place it. When she had first come out to the kitchen as Oliver showered all she could smell was the coffee. Then Dig brought the food and she was nearly overwhelmed with the smell of cinnamon, assuming it was from the delicious bag of baked goods he carried. So she didn’t notice until those odors dissipated that something was not quite right.

As Tommy and Laurel walked in the masculine clove smell hit her head on. She sniffed the air quickly, causing Oliver to nudge her shoulder. “Everything okay?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know.” She turned towards him so he could hear her as she spoke low. “The room smells weird. And I just got a burst of cloves.”

Oliver laughed a little. “That’s just Tommy’s scent.” As what he said registered he frowned. “You can smell Tommy?”

Felicity tilted her head and squinted her eyes in confusion. “I..How?”

Oliver kissed her forehead and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “It might have to do with your scent growing stronger. We’ll figure it out once you’re safe.”

She nuzzled her nose against his shoulder and held in a gasp, but he felt her tense. Squeezing her shoulder he looked down at her with his brows furrowed in question.

She smiled and wrapped an arm around his chest. “I just noticed that you smell like sandalwood and sawdust.”

“Okay lovebirds, if we can get back to the task at hand.” Dig’s deep voice caused them both to look up and greet the smug faces of their friends.

Laurel and Thea were smiling broadly as Tommy hid his smile under a smirk. “Yeah, buddy, cuddle with your food on your own time.”

Laurel elbowed her boyfriend in the ribs. “That’s brash, Tommy.”

Oliver glared at him and cleared his throat but kept his arm where it was. “So, the note?”


	8. Confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, some answers....and Helena's out for blood. Well, more blood than usual.

They tried not to hover as Felicity’s fingers flew over the keyboard of Oliver’s laptop, but after making the decision to confront whoever had given Sara the phone number they were just ready to get it over with. A second day of hiding was one too many for Felicity’s saviors after the past five years of confusion and loss.

“You know, this would be easier if I had my own computer. I already have all the encryptions and firewalls set up at home,” Felicity noted casually as she eyed the anxious group over her glasses.

Oliver and Dig quickly shook their heads but Tommy responded before they could, “Helena may be watching your place and I don’t think Dig and I could hold the big guy here back if anything happened to you.”

Dig snorted as Oliver merely nodded his head, rolling his eyes a bit in acceptance of the truth coming from his best friend’s mouth.

Felicity smiled, scrunching her nose as she caught Oliver’s gaze. “Well then it’s a good thing I’m already done.”

“Really?” Thea and Laurel chimed in from the couch as a slow smile graced Oliver’s lips.

She smiled broadly and reached over the coffee table towards Tommy. “The number please, Mr. Merlyn.”

He handed it over with a grin. “Anything for our charming hacker goddess.”

Laurel rolled her eyes as Thea huffed out a laugh. “Tommy,” Oliver’s voice warned from his position behind him.

“Hey,” Tommy turned to defend himself. “I’m allowed to flirt, right Babe?” He asked towards Laurel.

“Only because I know you’re harmless and can’t help it.” She smiled and patted his knee.

Tommy laughed when a small growl made its way through his best friend’s clenched jaw. “Really, buddy, if me doing it makes you jealous just wait until you’re out with her and the rest of the world is let in on how remarkable she is.”

Oliver clenched his fists at his side and closed his eyes, sighing to relax the tension that had settled into his bones. He opened his eyes to find Felicity staring at him.

“Done?” She asked quietly, holding his gaze. She smiled when he nodded slowly, unclenching his fists. “Good, because so am I. The number is a cell phone registered to Malcolm Merlyn.”

Tommy slumped back into the couch, taking Laurel’s hand in his. “Shit.”

Felicity shook her head. “That doesn’t make sense though. I work at Merlyn Global a few days a week, I’ve had one-on-one meetings with Malcolm nearly every time. Helena could’ve easily taken me from there if he’s involved, so why set up the party to lure me in?”

Dig raised an eyebrow, contemplating the new information. “Maybe we should call it. See who answers.”

Felicity’s fingers flew across the keyboard again. “GPS says the phone is only a about a mile from here.”

Oliver ran a hand over his face. “They’re expecting you to be here.” He took out his cell phone and entered the number, putting the call on speaker.

A familiar female voice answered on the second ring. “Hello?”

“Sara?”

“Ollie? I…” She sounded nervous but continued, “Can I come to your place and talk in person?”

Oliver closed his eyes as he spoke. “Sara it’s day time.”

She answered with a nervous laugh. “Okay, so maybe it won’t be me.”

“I’m not at home,” Oliver lied, hoping it would get her to admit something else.

“Where are you?” Sara cleared her throat. Oliver thought he heard someone else in the background.

“I’m at Tommy’s.” He glanced over at his friends apologetically but they simply nodded.

“Oh.” Her voice sounded slightly panicked. “Why are you there?”

“Because they called and said you’d stopped by,” he paused, glancing at Felicity before deciding how to proceed. “And were acting strange, asking about old friends from high school.”

“Uh,” she hesitated and the group heard whispers in the background of the call. “Yeah, I heard you ran into Felicity at Helena’s party. I want to catch up with her. Happen to know where she is?”

Oliver clenched his jaw. “Nope, she left before I could get her number.” He cleared his throat and eyed the room cautiously before making his next move. “But she mentioned that she works at Merlyn Global. Maybe you can try looking her up at work tomorrow.”

“Malcolm doesn’t think she’ll be in…” her voice trailed off as she realized what she said.

“Sara?” Oliver’s voice came out low and threatening.

The sound of another woman’s voice came through the line, muffled. “I’m going to your sister’s apartment, little Lance, and if I don’t find the Smoak brat soon I’ll take your precious Laurel instead.”

Felicity recognized the other voice, covering her mouth to hold back the gasp as her eyes widened. Oliver met her gaze when the realization hit him as well - Helena. Tommy put his arm over Laurel’s shoulders and pulled her close, rubbing soothing patterns on her arm as he kissed her head and whispered reassurances.

Sara started whimpering on the other end of the call as loud banging noises echoed through the handset. After a moment of peace the silence was broken. “Go see Malcolm, Ollie. And please, tell Tommy to protect my sister. I can’t stop this.” She said quietly as the line went dead.

**

Tommy pulled into the driveway of his family estate with a feeling of dread. He didn’t want to believe that his father was capable of being behind all they’d been working against the last five years, that he could’ve been a part of what happened to Sara, but he also knew his father. The cold determination that could possess him when he thought he was right.

As he put the car in park he turned to his best friend sitting beside him. “How are we going to do this?”

Oliver wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans and shook his head. “We’re just going to talk to him, Tommy. See what he knows, if we can figure out his connection to Sara. Like Felicity said, he could’ve hurt her several times over and didn’t. It makes me wonder if he’s connected to Helena at all.”

The younger Merlyn sighed. “Well, alright then. Let’s see if daddy dearest is in.”

The men walked slowly up to the large door and were greeted with silence as they entered the house. The men looked at each other, Oliver raising an eyebrow in question. “Dad?” Tommy’s voice echoed in the foyer.

A young woman in a maid’s uniform hurried in from a hallway, wringing her hands. “Mr. Merlyn is in his study. He’s been waiting for you,” she said nervously before quickly running towards another room.

“Well, okay then.” Tommy tried to smile but found he couldn’t fake it this time. He cleared his throat and gestured for Oliver to follow him, making their way to Malcolm’s study in the back of the house. When they reached the door Tommy took a deep breath and knocked.

Once again they were greeted with silence.

“Dad?” Tommy knocked again.

“It’s open.” His father’s voice resonated through the wood. Tommy looked at Oliver, who only nodded. It was now or never.

As they stepped into the room Malcolm turned from his place in front of the windows, swirling a tumbler of whiskey in his hand. The room was too dark for such an early time of day, but the wood and thick upholstery created an ambience of evening. ‘Or doom,’ Tommy thought.

“Tommy, I expected you’d have more people with you. A young blonde perhaps.”

The young man put his hands in his pockets and flashed Oliver a grin before sauntering towards the chairs in front of his father’s desk. “Laurel hasn’t been blonde in years.”

Malcolm laughed, surprising Tommy and stopping his progress across the room. Oliver crossed his arms, still standing by the study door. “You know I meant Miss Smoak. I was very disappointed to hear about what Helena attempted to do, but I’m glad you were there, Oliver.” He turned his attention to his son’s friend. “I promised her father I’d watch out for her and I failed. Thank you for stepping up.”

“Her father?” Tommy interrupted the staring contest between his father and best friend.

Malcolm drank down the whiskey and sat down at his desk, gesturing to the chairs in front of him. “Sit, both of you. We have a lot to discuss. I take it that she is safe for the time being?” He waited for a small nod of acknowledgement from Oliver before continuing. “Good, then we have time to get this all out there.”

Oliver cleared his throat as he made his way to the chair, impatient to find out what Malcolm knew. “Sara mentioned a war, and we know she has some connection to you. I want to know what that is before we even broach the topic of Felicity.”

Merlyn nodded. “I’ve tried to help Sara since, well, for the last five years. She was working for me when Helena got to her. I didn’t know it was Helena at the time, I only learned that later, but I felt that it was my fault. And it was. I’ll take the blame for that. Sara was collateral damage in a war between the vampire families because she was the messenger I used to communicate with Robert, your father.”

Oliver shook his head, squinting his eyes in question as Tommy rubbed his chin and sank into his chair. He knew this tone of voice from his father and it wasn’t good.

Malcolm leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers as he began. “For a long time the Bertinellis have flaunted the rules for living among humans. Generations ago we, the other families in this area, agreed with the hunters that we would police them ourselves in exchange for détente. They wouldn’t hunt us for old times’ sake and we wouldn’t allow our own to feed on humans. But the Bertinellis, they didn’t like that agreement. They thought vampires should rule the world, or at least that their family should. It was petty fighting, a deviant here or there that we would warn hunters about, nothing too serious, at least that we were certain about, until about 10 years ago. Helena Bertinelli fell in love with a human.”

“Michael,” Oliver said quietly. “He disappeared just before graduation.”

Malcolm nodded. “Her father forcibly turned him in their basement and then forced Helena to watch him burn in the sun. There was nothing left but ash.”

Tommy breathed heavily through his nose. “Fucking hell.”

“So when Helena came to me 5 years ago after Robert was killed and said she wanted to help me against her father, I believed her.”

“Wait,” Oliver leaned forward, placing his hand on the desk. “What does my father have to do with this?”

Malcolm tilted his head slightly as he answered, “Frank Bertinelli killed him.”

Oliver shook his head. “Why?”

“Because we were planning on turning him over to Lance.” Malcolm poured himself more whiskey before continuing. “I sent Sara over to your house with some additional evidence we had against him, non-vampire-related activity that could give Lance a real means to bring him in. I was hoping to get Robert’s input on how far we should go, but she walked in at the wrong time. I know you remember, she was grabbed the next day. I thought it was Frank, especially since she was turned, but I found out a few weeks ago that it was actually Helena and some young vampires she’s enticed into following her whims. She’s been working for her father this whole time, though a bit passive-aggressively.”

Tommy scoffed. “Okay, so what the hell does Felicity have to do with this?”

Malcolm smiled and sipped his drink, looking wistfully at the swirling liquid before answering his son’s question. “Felicity’s father was a very dear friend of both our families. You two were probably too young to remember, but she used to spend a lot of time around here before…well, before her father disappeared. Frank had a particularly messy history with Donna Smoak, and when Edward disappeared Frank wanted to bring her in as part of the Bertinelli family. Robert and Moira offered them sanctuary, as did I and Rebecca, so his offer wasn’t entirely out of place, but Donna was a strong woman and wanted to stand on her own, so we simply offered protection should she feel she needed it. But Frank, he was persistent, claiming that since she’s human she had to choose a family to align with. Donna wouldn’t have it, she always thought Frank had something to do with her husband’s disappearance. I misjudged the hatred Frank’s obsession built in Helena towards Felicity, and then after Michael...she’s been living a vendetta. Like father like daughter I guess.”

Oliver sank into his chair. “I don’t understand.”

Malcolm set his glass down and leaned on the desk on his elbows, his face stern. “Helena doesn’t care about the war, she only cares about getting revenge for her father’s misplaced affections. She killed Donna in an attempt to punish Frank, and she’s going after Felicity because of something she knows nothing about.”

Oliver chuckled a bit to himself. “Felicity said my mom never liked her, but you said my parents offered them a safe place?”

Malcolm smiled. “Moira loved that little girl from the day she was born.” His smile faded as he continued, “When Edward disappeared she was heartbroken for them. And when Donna asked us to let her step away and raise her daughter in a life without vampires, we respected her wishes and kept our distance. But as you grew up, Moira had to watch the two of you come and go with Felicity. The secrets wore on her.”

Tommy cleared his throat and asked the question that had haunted him since his father’s name was brought up the day before, “Dad, why did you hire Felicity?”

“She’s the best at what she does,” Malcolm smiled fondly before turning serious again. “But I also wanted to keep her close. I heard she was moving back to Starling and Moira and I made sure Merlyn Global and Queen Consolidated were on her radar so I would have some influence in keeping her safe. Sara was helpful in keeping an eye on her, but like I said before, I didn’t know Helena had her claws in her. Sara didn’t realize it either if the look on her face Friday night was any indication. She caught an argument between Miss Bertinelli and myself that turned particularly nasty.”

Tommy sighed. “Yeah, Sara’s pretty upset about being Helena’s pawn.”

Malcolm looked between the two men. “You’ve spoken to her?”

Tommy nodded. “She was waiting for me and Laurel at our apartment yesterday. Gave us her phone number, which is registered to you. That’s why Ollie and I came by to talk to you.”

Malcolm tapped his desk. “That’s not what I was expecting. After Helena’s little stunt I had a trusted associate wait outside Miss Smoak’s apartment to convey a message to her, and whoever might bring her home, which I assumed would be Oliver given Helena’s ranting.”

Oliver shook his head. “We didn’t know if Helena would be watching Felicity’s apartment so she hasn’t gone back there.”

Malcolm pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and hit the speed dial before placing the handset to his ear. It kept ringing with no answer. “Well, it seems my associate is no longer available,” he said as he placed the phone down on his desk. “I guess that proves keeping her away was a good idea.”


	9. Misguided

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity was rarely wrong, but when she was, it tended to be pretty damn wrong.

Felicity lay in Oliver’s bed, the bedroom door ajar so she wouldn’t feel so isolated. The sound of Thea and Laurel laughing came intermittently from the guest room across the hall where they were watching television. Dig was making rounds through the house, having been left on guard duty when Oliver and Tommy ran out to pay the elder Merlyn a visit. It was a long drive to and from the mansion on the other side of the city and the hour since they’d left had Felicity on edge.

She was restless. She hated feeling useless. Sara was hiding out from the daylight close by and Helena was likely in the city watching Tommy and Laurel’s apartment. Technology couldn’t do anything right now and she needed to do something. Sighing deeply she pushed herself up from the bed and closed the bedroom door.

Felicity stared at the phone in her hands, mumbling to herself, ‘Ok, just gauging the situation. This isn’t a bad idea. Could be a worse idea. Like going to that stupid party to begin with.’ She smiled thinking about how that party had changed her life in unimaginable ways, how it had brought her and Oliver together in a matter of hours. Felicity sighed at that thought, her and Oliver together. ‘So many ways we’ve been together.’ She shook her head to clear her thoughts. Now wasn’t the time to daydream. She had a mystery to solve.

Taking a deep breath she sat on the bed and slowly entered the number Oliver called earlier that morning. It was picked up on the fourth ring but Felicity’s ear met with silence.

“Hello?” She asked after a few moments.

“Felicity?” Sara’s shaky voice came through.

Felicity’s breath stuttered. “Sara? Are you okay?”

The other woman started crying. “You need to leave Starling. Helena is after you and I can’t stop her.”

Felicity closed her eyes and counted to three before responding. “Sara, I know. Okay? I know. It’s why I called you. I need to know what’s going on.”

“I can’t,” the other woman whined, “she’ll kill Laurel.”

“Laurel’s safe, Sara. I promise.” She gave her a few moments to collect herself before continuing. “Can I come see you? We need to talk, about all of this, about my mom…” Felicity’s voice trailed off as she brought her free hand to her forehead. A headache was beginning behind her eyes and a wave of fatigue rushed over her.

“I didn’t do it!” Sara said quickly, her voice stronger now. “Malcolm was communicating with her, using me as a messenger sometimes. I just happened to be there when you were visiting. I didn’t know Helena had followed me! I didn’t know what I know now. God, Felicity, I’m so sorry, I didn’t know.” She started crying again.

Felicity shushed her gently, “I believe you, Sara, but we need to talk. Are you alone?”

Sara cleared her throat. “Yeah, but it’s day time, I can’t come out in the daylight. I’m…I…”

“I know, Sara. I know what happened to you.” Felicity said quietly.

She listened to the woman on the other end of the call cry softly until a loud noise made Felicity jump up from the bed. “Sara?”

The silence seemed to stretch on for minutes as Felicity listened for any sign of what had happened. She contemplated leaving for Sara’s GPS coordinates but shook off that idea, the silence could have been caused by Helena returning and she had no idea what to expect from a vampire hell bent on getting to her.

“Uh, Felicity?” Sara’s voice was light and certain, different from how it had been just before her unexpected silence.

She stopped pacing. “Sara?”

“I would love if you came to see me.”

Felicity sighed as the other blonde gave her an address that didn’t match the GPS. “Is Helena there?”

“No,” she scoffed.

Throwing her head back to stare at the ceiling and clear her mind Felicity took a deep breath. “Okay, I’ll be there in a few minutes.” As she ended the call she thought to herself, ‘This is definitely a trap.’

Felicity snuck out of Oliver’s house and made her way to the GPS coordinates less than a mile away instead of the address Sara had given her to a diner downtown. If Helena was trying to lure her out it would be there, so she took a gamble that Sara would be alone with the phone.

The coordinates led her to an abandoned strip mall a 15-minute walk from Oliver’s house. The parking lot was surrounded by orange plastic-covered construction fencing so she wandered the perimeter trying to find a way in. Over a small hill about 50 yards from the road the lot abutted a forest and the fence ended. There were no signs of activity so she walked towards the building, hyper-aware of the stark emptiness around her.

As she peeked in the glass storefronts she noticed a scent in the air. Something smelled like decay, with a moldy undertone that made her crinkle her nose. Turning her back to the window she had been looking in she surveilled the empty lot, trying to find any reason for the sudden odorous intrusion. A bang on the glass behind her made her jump.

“Eep!” Turning she saw a figure standing just inside, hidden by the shadows.

“Sara?” Felicity called out, but the figure didn’t move. She made her way to the door and found it unlocked. Opening it slowly and peeking inside she confirmed that the woman she was looking for was hiding in the dark room.

“Sara?”

“You shouldn’t be here.” The other blonde shook her head, taking a step back.

“I just want to talk,” Felicity replied as she stepped inside the empty store.

Sara shook her head again. “Helena made me ask you to come.”

Felicity smiled. “I know, that’s why I didn’t go where you told me.”

Sara nodded and turned towards a back room. Felicity followed her, the scent of evergreen wafting around her just as pain shot through her head and everything went black.

She woke in the dark to a throbbing headache. A painful lump had developed on the back of her head and she was too dizzy to sit up. “Great, a concussion.”

“That’s the least of your worries,” a calm voice answered from somewhere nearby. The smell that accompanied it was the same from the store where she had found Sara, making her tense despite the pain.

“Who are you?” Felicity felt a rush of pride when her voice was shaky but sure.

Her question was answered with a laugh.

She narrowed her eyes and clenched her jaw. “Who. Are. You?”

The taunter slapped her and laughed again. “I do my mistress’ bidding. And she wanted you. So I waited. And you came. Now you’re hers, too.” They spoke in a soft rhythm, sending a shiver down Felicity’s spine.

“Who’s your mistress?”

“I am.”

Felicity whipped her head around, closing her eyes and whimpering when the pain of the movement seared through her. The evergreen scent overwhelmed her senses as the slight smell of decay once again seeped through.

A lone light bulb hanging from the ceiling lit up and Felicity opened her eyes to find Helena standing against a stone wall, a lazy smile on her lips.

The door next to her opened and Sara was shoved into the room, bringing a stronger stench of death with her. Felicity wrinkled her nose, suppressing a cough at the foul intrusion. Sara looked up from where she landed on the floor, her eyes wide as she took in the occupants of the room.

“No!” She screamed, turning to throw herself at Helena’s feet. “You promised you wouldn’t hurt her.”

Helena giggled. “Oh I won’t. I’m just going see if she's as special as everyone thinks.”

**

Tommy and Oliver were still wrapping their minds around what Malcolm had disclosed to them as they made their way back to Oliver’s house. All Oliver wanted was to crawl into bed with Felicity and ask her what she remembered. How could they all have forgotten how close their families were? Do the memories of young children really fade so completely? And yet, Malcolm still hadn’t told them everything. The thought itched at the back of Oliver’s mind that he should call his mother.

“You know,” Tommy interrupted his best friend’s thoughts. “I remember a little girl who used to come over and play. I think I was maybe 4 or 5. There was usually a tall dark-haired man and a blonde woman with her. My mom would let us have cookies and called her ‘sunshine’. But I don’t remember ever hearing her name. And then they didn’t come over any more and you and I had our adventures…”

Oliver's shoulders shook with a snort he held in. Adventures was one way of describing the two boys’ taste for getting into trouble.

“I guess I just never thought too much about it,” Tommy continued. “She was just one of many kids we interacted with, and Felicity was just one of the many high school girls. I had no idea she was, well, whatever her family was to ours.”

Oliver nodded. “Now that I know about the history some things are starting to make sense for me, too.” He sighed. “Or maybe I just want things to make sense, I don’t know.”

“Do you think,” Tommy stopped to clear his throat, shifting in the driver’s seat uncomfortably. “You don’t think our parents mesmerized us into forgetting her, do you?”

Oliver shook his head. “I don’t know, Tommy. If they did it’s because they thought it’d be best. It must’ve really thrown them for a loop when we kept crossing paths with Felicity at school.”

Tommy nodded, sparing a quick glance at his friend. “That’s odd, too, isn’t it? I mean, other than her being THE tutor and us being THE fuck-ups, how did we keep getting drawn in?”

Oliver shook his head, smiling. “You mean how did I keep getting drawn in? I seem to remember you teasing me about that.” He glared at the side of Tommy’s face. “A lot.”

Tommy smiled broadly. “Yeah well you did always have a thing for her. Remember Laurel’s 18th birthday party at the beach? You were smashed, half of the girls in the senior class were throwing themselves at you, and you just kept going on and on about ‘the subtle Smoak smell’.” He laughed, throwing a quick glance at Oliver and laughing harder at the embarrassment on his face. “Everyone thought you were high and talking about the bonfire.”

Oliver groaned, throwing his head back against the headrest. “I’m so glad she wasn’t there to see that.”

Tommy’s smile faltered. “Yeah, well, like I said. We weren’t in the same circles.”

“But I always felt drawn to her.” Oliver sighed.

Tommy nodded. “By the way, what was up with her scent this morning?”

Oliver furrowed his brow. “What do you mean?”

Tommy cleared his throat. “I thought you two would’ve sealed the deal last night, or at least fed.”

Oliver felt his cheeks heating and turned towards the window. “We did,” he answered quietly, “both.”

“But she didn’t smell like you. In fact her smell was stronger, almost overpowering. Even _I_ had trouble concentrating.” He laughed, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand.

Oliver shook his head. “Thea mentioned something similar but I have no idea.” Silence followed, stretching out for minutes before Oliver chuckled as they turned into his driveway. “I tell you that I had sex while feeding with the woman I’ve pined after since we were 14 and I’m met with silence? Tommy Merlyn, have you matured?”

His friend snorted. “Hey you didn’t say both at the same time. Now I want details.” He smiled as he threw a glance at Oliver and put the car in park.

Oliver continued to tease him as they exited the car. “Maybe I should ask when you’re going to lock that thing down with Laurel.” He rolled his eyes at his own obnoxious phrasing.

Tommy snorted. “We aren’t interested in being told what to do by a piece of paper, buddy. And Laurel hates wearing rings.”

Oliver clapped him on the back. “Excuses, excuses.”

Dig greeted the men as they entered the kitchen. Tommy started to fill him in while Oliver made his way down the hall. As he opened his bedroom door he smiled. “Hey, Felicity, we found…” He stopped, taking in the empty room. Frowning he made his way to the bathroom. “Felicity?” She wasn’t there.

Oliver went across the hall and pushed open the guestroom door, Thea and Laurel greeting him from the bed where they were watching television.

“Where’s Felicity?” It came out gruffer than he intended, but the panic had started to well up inside him when she wasn’t with the girls.

“In your room,” Thea answered.

He shook his head violently. “No, she’s not!” He rushed to the kitchen, interrupting Dig and Tommy. “Dig, is Felicity downstairs?”

Their friend shook his head. “No, man, she’s in your room.”

Oliver groaned, his insides tightening as the panic made its way to his throat. “She’s not there. She’s not here. Where the hell is she?”

Dig quickly turned to make his way to the security room as Tommy gripped Oliver’s shoulder. “We can try tracking her.”

Oliver shook his head, the tears welling up in his eyes. “If Helena got to her…Tommy…”

His friend choked back his own rising emotions. “We’ll find her, man. We’ll find her.”

Dig pulled the security footage and saw Felicity leaving about a half hour before they realized she was missing. Oliver, Thea, and Tommy sprinted off in the direction she was headed and started sniffing the air. They lost her scent about a mile from Oliver’s house.

“Didn’t she say Sara was about a mile away?” Thea asked as they stood in the middle of the road trying to find a clue as to where she went from there.

Oliver nodded.

“Could she have been looking for her?” Tommy asked.

The area was quiet, the traffic for the now abandoned strip mall gone, the forest closing in around the construction fencing that implied something would be done to the building but nothing ever had. ‘She wouldn’t, would she?’ Oliver thought to himself. ‘Shit, she would.’

Oliver took a deep breath and walked over to the fence, testing its strength. “We could get through this but Felicity wouldn’t have been able to.”

“Maybe she followed it,” Thea suggested.

Oliver walked towards the corner, finally picking up a bit of her scent again. He sighed. “Her scent is fading but I picked it up again heading towards the woods.”

They followed it until finding the opening to the parking lot where Felicity had made her way a half hour prior. As they walked towards the building other scents assaulted them – the death of made vampires and the characteristic evergreen of Helena Bertinelli. Oliver gritted his teeth.

They walked past the storefronts, glancing cautiously into each one until a patch of graffiti caught their attention. On the sidewalk below it were a cell phone and Felicity’s glasses. As Oliver dropped to his knees, growling in rage and pain, the single word spray painted in red on the window echoed in his mind.

_Mine_

 


	10. The savage beast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can Oliver and Tommy make it in time to save Sara and Felicity?

Two weeks. They had been searching for her for two long, godforsaken weeks at any property ever owned, leased, or borrowed by the Bertinellis. Both Malcolm and Lance had been helping in their own ways, utilizing any contacts they could, but Helena had simply vanished, taking Sara and Felicity along with her. Even her father didn’t seem to know where they’d gone, leading his own search for his daughter. Lance put some hunters on Frank Bertinelli so they’d know the moment he came across her.

As they grew weary with the search, Oliver withdrew, heading out alone at night with a quiver full of arrows and returning when it was empty, leaving a trail of vampire dust from Helena’s minions in his wake. Tommy understood Oliver’s frame of mind, but not his father’s. As the time wore on Malcolm had grown frantic, exhausting every avenue in their attempt to find Felicity. After the first week, Tommy started asking questions, many of which his father simply pretended not to hear. By the start of the third week Tommy couldn’t take it anymore and decided to confront his father at work.

He had called Malcolm’s EA to ensure he was in with no scheduled appointments before entering the elevator. Waiting around all day in the lobby of Merlyn Global for the EA’s all clear had given him plenty of time to think, and he knew the first question he needed to ask was going to be the one his father was avoiding the most.

As he exited the elevator on the Executive floor Tommy pasted on a charming grin and waved to his dad’s EA as she left for the evening. He waited until the elevator doors closed behind her before walking into his father’s office.

Malcolm looked up from his desk, scowling at the intrusion until he realized it was his son. “Tommy! Any news?”

He shook his head in response. “Nope. Just a question. What aren’t you telling us about Felicity?” He crossed his arms across his chest, attempting to mimic Oliver’s intense glare. “Let’s start with something more specific though - her strong scent. What do you know?”

Malcolm sighed. “I’ve already told you that her father was important.”

Tommy nodded, glaring at Malcolm as he made his way to a chair and sat down. “Yes, but you didn’t say why.”

His father cleared his throat, only starting to speak when he realized he couldn’t put this off any longer. “Edward was not…” He sighed, rubbing his hand over his face to gain the composure he’d lost over the last 2 weeks. “Felicity’s father passed along certain traits, survival traits that I think were triggered when Helena attempted to mesmerize her.”

Tommy furrowed his brow. “So Felicity isn’t human?”

Malcolm shook his head. “No, she is.”

“But her father wasn’t?” Tommy asked slowly.

The elder Merlyn stood from his chair, walking over to the floor to ceiling windows overlooking Starling City, his hands in his pockets so Tommy wouldn’t see them shake. “Edward Smoak was an immortal. One of those responsible for the first of our families, the first vampires, though he wasn’t one himself. Seeing how they used the gifts he gave them, he regretted it and trained the first hunters. But in more recent generations he had been a great ally, ensuring our truce with the hunters. When he fell in love with Donna he didn’t think he could have children. Millennia of conquests never resulting in offspring for any of the handful of his kind seemed to argue against it, but then Donna found out she was pregnant.” Malcolm smiled at the memory – Rebecca had been so excited for her best friend. “Robert and I helped him procure the services of top scientists to prepare for what that child might be. But it was all for nothing. Her DNA was perfectly human, and the only thing she seemed to have inherited from her father was dark hair and blue eyes…and his scent.”

Tommy squinted his eyes, slightly pouting his lips in confusion. “But Felicity’s blonde.”

Malcolm huffed out a small laugh. “She dyes it.”

His son chuckled. “Of course she does.” He shook his head to clear his mind before continuing. “So if she’s human, then what are the survival traits?”

“In the last 10 years or so scientists have discovered that there is more to our genetic code than just the DNA sequence. I think we overlooked Edward’s contribution to Felicity’s make up, hidden away in the small changes to the DNA we don’t understand. Much like all of the subtle changes that occur when a vampire is turned.”

“So, she’s safe from being turned?”

Malcolm shook his head and turned back to his desk. “She’s human. I just think she has some built in defense to being mesmerized like her father did.”

Tommy sighed. “What happened to the immortals?”

Malcolm sat down heavily in his office chair. “Immortal doesn’t mean they can’t be killed, it just makes it harder. They heal quickly and age very very slowly. Edward was the last we knew about. The others were killed off by vampire families in other parts of the world. Retaliation for the hunters we think. Their heads would arrive by post, the mouths and eyes moving until life finally slipped from them. Since they always arrived for Edward there was probably nowhere to send his. I honestly don’t know what happened to him.”

Tommy met Malcolm’s gaze, his father’s eyes watery from discussing the demise of one of his best friends, when his cell phone rang. Noting the unknown number he hit ‘ignore’, but the phone rang again before he could put it back in his pocket.

Rolling his eyes in annoyance he answered the call, “Hello?”

“Tommy, so glad you finally answered.”

“Helena,” Tommy clenched his jaw and put the call on speaker.

“tsk tsk tsk, is that any way to talk to the woman who is giving you a chance to save your girlfriend’s sister?”

“This is about Sara?”

Helena laughed. “What, you thought I’d give you time to save that Smoak brat? Her tainted line had to end, Tommy. But Sara, well, she was a good little doggy so I’ll give her a chance. A very small, teensy weensy chance. Which you’re wasting by the way.”

Tommy sighed. “Okay, I’m listening.”

“In 24 hours when the sun rises over the ruins in Tragliata she will turn to ash. Give Oliver my best.”

As soon as Helena ended the call Malcolm was on the phone rounding up a pilot and putting flight plans in motion. Tommy called Oliver to tell him what had just happened, his father’s snapping fingers catching his attention. “It’s at least a 21 hour flight to Rome if we don’t stop, so we have to leave now if we want a chance of making it in time.”

**

Felicity opened her eyes slowly, the pain in her body preventing her from sleeping any longer. She felt…wrong. It was still dark but the first hint of sunrise colored the clouds over her head. She tried to shift and alleviate the numbness in her limbs caused by her awkward position on the ground but she was immobilized by the chains on the stone wall they’d propped her body against. The metallic taste of blood in her mouth was a startling reminder of what she’d been through. They had force fed her blood for…hours? Days? Felicity didn’t know. All she knew was that her sharp teeth dragged along her lower lip and the sun was rising soon. They had turned her and no one could save her now. She had hung on desperately to the thought that Oliver would find her as they tortured her with feedings, withholding all other food and water. Her body growing weaker until she couldn’t even raise her head in protest. Sara had been there, chained up in the dark hole they’d kept them in, screaming for them to let Felicity go, that what they were doing wasn’t right.

“Felicity?”

The blonde turned her head quickly, whimpering when she pulled a muscle in her neck.

“Sorry, sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.”

She turned her head more carefully to find the owner of the quiet voice. She had to clench her throat to stop from sobbing at the sight. It was Sara, chained to another wall, her body tiny and pale in dirty torn rags, tear tracks clearing paths on her filthy cheeks.

“Sara,” Felicity nearly whispered.

The other blonde gave her a small smile. “At least we won’t die alone, right?”

Felicity shook her head. “I don’t want to die, Sara.”

The woman shrugged. “They turned you. Trust me, it’ll be better if you never have to try to live that way. The darkness isn’t warm, or kind. I’ve been dead since I became this, what they made me, I just didn’t realize it until Helena came after you.”

Felicity shook her head again, still trying to hold off the tears. “No, Sara. We can find a way. There’s always a way. Laurel loves you. Your dad loves you. We have to get out of here and we’ll find a way to live, despite what they’ve done to us!”

As the first rays of sunlight hit the top of the wall above Felicity’s head she realized there was no ceiling to protect them, and it was inevitable that as the morning progressed they would each be doused in sunlight. Starting with Felicity. She bowed her head and cried.

**

As the sun began to rise over the Italian landscape, Oliver, Tommy, and Malcolm frantically exited the Merlyn Global jet and urged their driver to hurry to Tragliata. The ruins were an old Smoak estate vacated during the Saracen raids of the Roman Empire. The lack of sleep was catching up to Oliver, who had to hold back tears as the sun’s rays reflected off the windshield. Helena had only mentioned Sara, but there was a chance Felicity was somewhere nearby.

The sun inched above the horizon as they ate up the miles between Leonardo da Vinci International Airport and the estate. The half hour drive was going to be the determining factor of whether they made it in time.

As they pulled up to the abandoned property, Oliver jumped from the car and started calling out Felicity’s name. The sun shared more and more of its light as they searched the grounds, but as he rounded a stone pillar he caught her scent. His panic abated as he searched her out. She still smelled like herself.

He called out for Tommy, who joined him as he entered an earthen cavern in the ruins. They came out into a clearing surrounded by mounds of earth to direct the sunlight between two stone walls. Chained to each was a blonde.

Felicity was illuminated by the sunlight, dirty and pale but alive. ‘Oh thank god, they haven’t turned her,’ Oliver thought to himself, running for her as Tommy made his way to Sara, who was still in shadow, but not for long.

When Felicity looked up at Oliver his heart dropped as her fangs descended.

“Oliver?” She started crying.

He pulled at her chains trying to loosen where they were bolted to the wall but they wouldn’t budge. He looked over to find Tommy having the same problem.

“Go help Sara.” Oliver turned towards Felicity’s voice. When he squinted at her in question she smiled. “If the sun was going to hurt me it would have by now. Go help Tommy save her.”

He palmed her cheek before running over to Tommy, helping him pull on the chains. A scream made them jump and turn towards the cavern they’d entered through. Malcolm walked out, one hand tightly wrapped around Helena’s throat, his other arm holding her squirming torso against him.

“I believe you’re looking for the key in her pocket,” he yelled at the men.

Oliver ran over and searched her pockets, coming up with the large iron key. He ran back to unlock Sara. Once she was free Tommy threw his jacket over her head. “Huddle your arms in and squat down so your legs are covered.” He turned towards Oliver. “We need a blanket or something to get her back to the plane.”

His friend nodded. “I need to unlock Felicity first.” Oliver returned to Felicity, key in hand. He unlocked her chains and tightly held her in his arms, breathing in her scent as Helena ranted and raved.

“You should be ash! I made you! You’re mine! You should be ash!”

Malcolm laughed in her ear. “Silly girl, she comes from immortal blood. A simple born vampire is no match for her father’s legacy.”

Helena’s body froze. “No, she can’t be. That’s impossible.”

Malcolm smiled mischievously. “We always told you she was special.” And he snapped Helena’s neck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So my count here says I planned one more chapter. I did, and that might still be the case. But I think it might end up being more, or a series. I have so much I want to explore in this universe. We'll see.


	11. Renewal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity finally gets to go home

The ride back to the airport was less frantic than the drive to the estate earlier that morning, but Oliver still felt panic tingling below the surface. He had almost lost her. No, he would’ve lost if her if she hadn’t been who she is. He held Felicity on his lap in the passenger seat, murmuring his gratitude to the universe into her hair.

Sara was wrapped in a blanket in the back seat, making herself as small as possible between Tommy and Malcolm. The younger Merlyn put an arm around her and drew her in close, comforting her through the fabric that shielded her head from errant sunlight. “It’s going to be okay, Sara. Laurel is going to be so happy that we found you.” He rocked her frail body soothingly as he captured his father’s eyes over her head. “We’re going to have to discuss your association with all this, you know that, right?”

Malcolm gave him a short terse nod before turning towards the window to watch the outskirts of Rome pass by. Everyone in the car ignored the fact that the body of Helena Bertinelli was in the trunk. Returning her to Starling would be a nod of respect to her family and hopefully enough to douse any further plans they had to continue the war against the Queens and Merlyns. And now with a potentially powerful vampire like Felicity on their side…Malcolm found himself trying to hold back a smile at the thought.

The driver and Malcolm left them alone at the jet to get supplies before the long flight home. Sara was in worse shape than Felicity because Helena had deprived her of blood, but neither had eaten in days, if not weeks, so they stocked the jet with blood bags, food, and medical supplies. Tommy and Malcolm took Sara to the private suite at the back of the plane, nursing her back to health with blood bags and intravenous fluids while Oliver tended to Felicity.

He hadn’t let go of her since the chains came off, and after takeoff he wouldn’t let her sit anywhere but his lap, nuzzling the side of her head with his nose, so grateful that she still smelled like his Felicity.

She smiled as he squeezed her thigh to bring her closer and nuzzle her ear. “Oliver?” Her voice was husky from her ordeal. “I feel strange, and hungry.”

He lifted his head to look at her, removing the hand from her leg to rub her lower lip with his thumb so he could see her teeth. “When was the last time you had blood?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know, but I haven’t had food since before she grabbed me.”

Oliver nodded and set her in the chair beside him. “I’ll get you something.” Oliver’s stomach grumbled as he put together a small sampling of fruit and cheese to ease her appetite, making him realize that he too hadn’t eaten since they left Starling City. Malcolm and Tommy had filled him in on their discussion as they covered the distance to Rome, and the fear and worry that had already settled in his stomach when he realized Felicity was gone had taken away his appetite yet again. But now that he had her back, whatever state she may be in, he could take the time to focus on his own wellbeing, too, so he grabbed enough food for two. Settling down beside her with a plate and a first aid kit he went to work cleaning cuts and scrapes on her legs as she alleviated her hunger.

When she was finished eating he checked her face and arms. Bruising was evident around her throat, fading scars crisscrossing over major arteries and veins on her neck, arms, and legs. Oliver’s eyes teared up and he swallowed hard, unconsciously tracing his fingers over one of the marks at the juncture of her shoulder and throat.

“It’s okay, Oliver.” Felicity’s voice was soft.

He met her eyes and shook his head. “It really isn’t, Felicity.” Her face fell. A million thoughts blurring in her tired brain. ‘Maybe he doesn't want me like this’ being the most prominent. She lowered her gaze. “I understand.”

Oliver took her chin in his hand and tilted her face up to look at him. “No, you don’t. It hurts me that she did this to you. That she forcibly took your life force from you. That she tried to break you. She left you to die,” his voice cracked as a tear fell from his reddening eyes.

Felicity gave him a small smile. “But I didn’t.”

Oliver couldn’t help but smile back because it was true. She was still very much alive and very much here with him.

She shrugged, wrapping her fingers around the hand that still held her chin and pulling it away by lacing their fingers. “I don’t know how, but the sun didn’t hurt me.”

“And you still smell like you,” Oliver added, bringing their entwined hands to his mouth and kissing her knuckles. When she gave him an inquisitive look he continued, “Made vampires smell like death, decay, mold. You still smell…like a tropical waterfall. Just less subtle than you did before…” He cleared his throat and looked down, smiling shyly. “Before our night together.”

Felicity’s cheeks pinkened and she bit her lower lip to stop from smiling but ended up making it bleed when her fangs involuntarily descended. “Ouch.” She quickly put her hand over her mouth. “I guess I have to get used to that.”

Oliver chuckled and leaned in, moving her hand away from her face he licked the small bit of blood from her lip. “Or I can just help you when it happens,” he murmured against her lips.

Felicity responded by quickly leaning back and pulling her hands from his hold. He reluctantly let her go. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she whispered as the tears leaked down her face. She quickly wiped at them with her fingers and retreated into the armrest as far from Oliver as she could get.

His face fell and after taking a moment to compose himself he reassured her, “Don’t apologize, Felicity. You’ve been through a lot. I shouldn’t have expected…I…” He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry. I can move to another seat if you’d be more comfortable.”

Felicity grabbed one of his hands with both of hers. “No, stay, Oliver, please. I just…”

The tears in her eyes made him shift towards her, palming her face with his free hand. “It’s okay, you can tell me anything you need to. I’m not going to leave you to deal with this alone unless you ask me to.”

Felicity closed her eyes, leaning into his hand. “I don’t know why this happened to me, and I don’t want you to get hurt.” She opened her eyes to find his staring back at her. “What if my blood does something to you?”

Oliver smiled, stroking her cheek with his thumb. “I have so much to tell you.”

**

Moira Queen paced her bedroom in the early hours before sunrise. Thea had filled her in about Felicity’s return to Starling shortly after she disappeared. Now she was waiting for Malcolm to call and confirm that she was alive. Unharmed would also be good. ‘Very very good,’ the Queen matriarch thought to herself.

She hadn’t seen Donna Smoak’s daughter in years. The little brunette genius had been yanked from their lives after her father disappeared but popped up again 10 years later as a blonde high schooler tutoring Tommy and Oliver. Moira and Robert had been reluctant to allow it, but when Donna didn’t seem to make a move to stop it, neither did they. After all, the avoidance of the Smoak women had been Donna’s wish, not theirs. Oliver falling for their friend’s human daughter had caught her off guard, but even as a teenager he hadn’t been rash about it and young love would’ve been the perfect excuse to get Donna back in their lives, so she was actually a little disappointed when nothing came of it. But now, if what Thea had told her was anywhere near the truth, her favorite little girl after her own daughter would be part of their family again.

“But only if they find her,” Moira reminded herself. She sat on the edge of her bed, gripping the comforter to steady her nerves and compose her emotions. She was the last of them, Rebecca and Donna were both gone, she needed to be strong for her children, all of them. Malcolm would be the aggressive strength pushing out at their enemies and she would be the constant pillar on which they could lean to catch their breath. Moira smiled to herself and took a deep breath. The war was far from lost.

Her cell phone ringing made her heart skip but she simply closed her eyes, re-opening them slowly before reaching for the device. The screen showed that it was the direct line from the Merlyn Global jet. She cleared her throat and accepted the call.

“Malcolm?”

“We found her, Moira. She’s alive.”

Moira smiled broadly, allowing a tear to slip from her eye. “Was she unharmed?” Malcolm’s hesitance caused her to stand from the bed, frowning. “What is it, Malcolm?”

His answer was clipped and to the point. “Helena turned her.”

Moira gasped, bringing her free hand up to her mouth as the tears welled in her eyes. “That poor girl!”

She could hear some shuffling in the background and then Malcolm’s voice came lower and quieter through her handset. “But the sun didn’t burn her. She is truly Edward’s daughter, Moira.”

“I don’t understand.”

Malcolm cleared his throat. “We’ll be landing in Starling in an hour. I thought you’d want to know. I have to pay Frank a visit as soon as we’re back.”

Moira nodded, wiping her cheeks with her free hand. “I’ll meet the jet at the airstrip.”

She changed and called Thea, who had been staying at Laurel and Tommy’s since the men left for Rome. The two women said they’d meet her there. She made her way downstairs to find John Diggle waiting in the foyer. “Mrs. Queen, Oliver asked if I wouldn’t mind driving you. He’d prefer if their arrival stayed in the family, so to speak, and didn’t think requesting a driver this early in the morning would go unnoticed.”

She smiled and nodded at the man her son trusted with his life. “Of course, Mr. Diggle.”

The 20 minute drive to the private airstrip utilized by the corporations in Starling City seemed to take forever even though traffic was nearly non-existent. Moira found herself fidgeting, a compulsion she hadn’t indulged in since she was much younger. As they pulled up next to Laurel’s car Thea didn’t hesitate to open the town car door and give her mother a hug, pulling her out of the back seat. The Queen women laughed, both of them with wet eyes.

“He said she’s okay, Mom. He said they’re both going to be okay.” Thea bit her lip as she leaned back to look up at her mother’s face, which was showing more emotion than she had in years.

Moira moved her arms from around her daughter to grip her hands within her own. “I know. And we have so much to talk about. So much family has been taken from us, it’s time we stop letting it happen.”

Thea nodded just as the sound of the plane taxiing from the runway caught their attention. Laurel joined them and the women watched as the jet came to a stop and the stairs descended. Malcolm exited first, helping Tommy and Sara. Laurel choked out a sob and ran for them, nearly tackling her still weak sister to the ground. Malcolm left them to obtain his cargo from the hold, sending Moira a quick wave.

She nodded her head in acknowledgement but then glanced up to catch her son exiting the plane with a blonde in his arms. As the woman turned her head to take in her surroundings Moira recognized her without a doubt in her soul. “Felicity,” she whispered, covering her mouth with her hand, unable to hold back the tears any longer. She walked slowly towards the couple, nodding at her son as he set Felicity down. Moira brought one hand up to each of their faces, looking between them. She gave Oliver a quick kiss on the cheek and then removed her hand from him to envelope Felicity in a hug.

If there had been any doubt this was Donna’s daughter there was no mistaking Edward Smoak’s scent. Moira smiled as the young woman returned the embrace. “I’m so sorry it took you so long to come back to us, Felicity.” Moira pulled back, holding Felicity’s shoulders. “I have so much to tell you about your parents. You probably don’t remember, but you’ve always been family. And I intend to never let that be forgotten again.”


	12. Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end of the tale of Felicity meeting her genetic destiny... but the beginning of so much more.

Turns out, when you’re a newly minted immortal vampire the vampire community treats you like royalty, a queen even. Felicity snorted at her own joke in her head. But she sobered thinking about how rough her start in this life had been. She caught her reflection in the large windows overlooking the Queen gardens. The thin straps and low neckline of the dress highlighted her pale skin. All of the scars from Helena’s abuse had healed due to her body’s new properties. Even Oliver’s almost nightly feedings left nothing but a slight discoloration come morning.

Felicity closed her eyes and hummed to herself thinking about Oliver. She smiled. ‘My Oliver.’ Their relationship had been solid since her rescue and he had helped her discover so many things about herself.

She turned around to take in the low lit grandeur of the ballroom. Moira had quickly put together this party to celebrate Felicity’s official introduction to their vampire family and friends. After spending some time re-acquainting themselves the Queen matriarch had tried for weeks to convince Felicity to allow her to do this, and Oliver had backed up his girlfriend’s decision to live quietly in the shadows. But living with Oliver and coming to terms with the changes to her body had made Felicity realize that there was a larger world out there, and she might find friends, people with answers to what she went through and is still going through, among the people Moira invited. So 6 weeks ago she acquiesced. Stunning Oliver when she marched into the dining room for brunch with his mother at the Queen mansion and announced that she was ready. He simply folded his lips in and nodded before clearing his throat and pulling out her chair.

And now they were here, taking in the scents of a hundred creatures Felicity wouldn’t believe existed 6 months ago. She and Oliver had arrived earlier in the evening to a curious crowd already waiting and eager to find out if the gossip was true. Among questions about Felicity’s father that she couldn’t answer and questions about her ordeal that she didn’t want to answer were side eyes and eyebrow raises regarding her and Oliver’s relationship. One older lady, a Dearden if Felicity had heard correctly, had patted Felicity’s stomach and asked when they could expect another Queen. Oliver had simply coughed and led a slack jawed Felicity to the bar, ordering her a glass of wine before excusing himself to speak to his mother through his clenched teeth. Felicity didn’t hear what he said but saw Moira wave it away to greet a latecomer.

Felicity had to admit though that, overall, the people she met had treated her with respect and awe. Edward Smoak seemed to have been very well known among the older vampires, and well respected. They were happy to know that his daughter was under the protection of the Queens, ‘where you belong,’ she heard over and over.

The history between their families had been a surprise to both her and Oliver, but it made sense. They both had memories of it, they had just lacked context until now. The Merlyn mansion had been their shared playground at an early age, but she still felt somewhat uncertain around Malcolm. Whenever she brought it up Tommy and Laurel assured her that it wasn’t just her.

Felicity was lost in thought, savoring the moment to herself now that everyone in the room had met her, when Oliver’s arms wrapped around her waist from behind. His nose nuzzled her ear as he spoke quietly, “You okay?”

Felicity smiled and nodded, placing her hands on his arms. “Yeah, just thinking.”

Oliver smiled, kissing her temple. “About anything in particular?”

She sighed, leaning back into his chest and tilting her head to look at his face. “Just everything. Like how your aunts are going to think we’re choosing baby names with us standing like this.”

He huffed, holding in a chuckle as he shook his head. “I am so sorry about that. Mom said they’re just being nosy but,” he grimaced, “that is just inappropriate.”

Felicity laughed, bringing a smile to his face as she turned in his embrace, placing her hands on his shoulders. “How about we sneak out of here early and give them something to talk about?”

He smiled, leaning in for a quick kiss. “Sorry, sweetheart, but this party is in your honor and we haven’t yet endured the main event.”

Felicity pulled back and furrowed her brows. “Main event? This isn’t like that Helena hunting party is it?”

Oliver chuckled. “No, this is a vampire debutante ball coming out party…like…thing.”

Felicity snorted. “Are you talking in sentence fragments?”

He smiled, gently swaying with her to the background music. “No, I just don’t know what to call it because this kind of introduction hasn’t been done in centuries, but Mom has been waiting to do this for you. You’re an immortal, and a vampire. That’s special. So the community wants to welcome you in the old-fashioned way. The way they were always told a person of your stature deserves. You’re going to be presented with gifts and advice and I have no idea what else. There may even be sacrifices,” He widened his eyes and nodded when Felicity’s eyebrows reached her hairline in surprise. “Though I’ve been told that the relatives who would do that died out generations ago.”

Felicity moaned, laying her forehead on Oliver’s chest and gripping his shoulders for support. “I don’t need gifts.”

Oliver brought his hands up to her shoulders and starting massaging. “I know, but you agreed to this.”

Felicity smiled and shook her head. “Yeah, and you’re going to be by my side the whole time.” She looked up at him and batted her lashes. “Aren’t you, Mr. Queen?”

He moaned, looking away from her to hide the smile he couldn’t prevent. He cleared his throat and schooled his features before looking back down at her. “Of course, Miss Smoak. I am forever your loyal servant.”

Felicity giggled and bit her lip, sliding one hand to the back of his neck. “I have so many plans for when we get home tonight.”

Oliver leaned down to rub the tip of her nose with his. “I may have forgotten to mention that we’re staying here tonight.”

Felicity groaned and stopped her swaying movements. “Oliver, I didn’t bring anything with me.”

Oliver smiled and licked his lips. “I don’t plan on you needing clothes.”

Before she could respond Moira’s call for attention from the other side of the room interrupted them. Another hour passed as Felicity received gifts ranging from antiques and old journals to specialized weapons and offers for her to learn skills from Starling-based members of the vampire community. She was overwhelmed but grateful, knowing that she would be taking up some of them on their offers.

As the partygoers left Felicity and Oliver excused themselves to their room. Making their way down the hall hand in hand Felicity caught a glimpse of Thea opening and then quickly closing her bedroom door.

“Oliver?” Felicity asked quietly.

“Mm-hmm,” he responded, stroking her knuckles with his thumb.

“Do you know what’s up with Thea lately? She said she had to work so she wouldn’t be at the party but I just saw her in her room.”

Oliver chuckled. “You can’t smell it?”

Felicity scrunched her nose. “Smell what?”

Her boyfriend smiled and pulled her closer, letting her hand go so he could wrap his arm around her shoulders. “Thea isn’t alone.”

The blonde sniffed, catching the familiar scents of the mansion and the Queens, with a slight undercurrent of…”She’s with a human?”

Oliver sighed, squeezing his girlfriend’s shoulders. “Thea thinks we don’t know but, yeah, she’s dating a human.”

Felicity huffed out a laugh. “She does realize we all have working noses right?”

Oliver chuckled as he opened the door to his old bedroom, letting go of her shoulders to let her walk inside as he shut the door behind them. “I think she’s hoping that things are crazy enough that we aren’t paying attention. And I think it’s pretty serious since she’s brought him here.”

“Wow.” Felicity pouted out her bottom lip. “Go Thea.”

Oliver chuckled, taking off his suit jacket and laying it across the chair by the fireplace. Felicity walked into the room, running a hand along the top of the dresser before stopping by the bathroom door. She turned slowly, meeting Oliver’s gaze. “I think I need a shower. Care to join me?”

Oliver licked his lips, undoing his cuff links as he took a step towards her. “Only if you let me take care of you.”

Felicity shivered as his eyes traveled over her body. She knew what he meant and the anticipation lit a fire inside her. She had intended a more mutual experience but what he suggested was more than acceptable. She licked her lips and nodded, turning to enter the bathroom as she unzipped her dress and stepped out of it, laying it carefully on the bathroom counter before going to the shower and turning on the water.

Oliver quickly stripped out of his clothes, leaving them where they fell on the floor. He heard the shower running as he kicked off his boxer briefs, quickly making his way into the bathroom. He walked up behind Felicity and wrapped his arm around her waist to press his hardening erection against her back, kissing her neck as she leaned into him.

“Finish getting undressed,” he whispered into her ear, feeling her shiver against him.

She nodded and stepped out of his arms as he leaned into the shower to check the temperature of the water, adjusting it slightly to ensure it wasn’t too hot.

As Felicity removed the last remnants of her undergarments she turned to watch the muscles in Oliver’s pale, toned back. His scars had faded since he’d started feeding from her, and she didn’t heal as quickly when she fed from him, so they limited the mutual feedings, but she hoped tonight would be an exception. She craved to taste him in every way possible. She walked back over to him, rubbing and kissing his shoulder to gain his attention, her teeth gently scraping his skin and making him shiver.

“Felicity,” he whispered, making her smile as he turned his head toward her to bring their lips together.

She bit his bottom lip gently, sucking on the small cut and moaning. “Mmm, you taste so good.”

Oliver smiled. “You taste better. Now get in the shower so I can prove it.”

Felicity giggled and pulled away from him to stand under the warm spray. He came up behind her and pulled her to his chest, running his hands over the soft wet flesh of her breasts as he nipped at her neck, causing her to moan.

“Not yet, sweetheart.” He reached for the bar of soap and carefully lathered her back and arms, using his other hand to follow the water as the spray rinsed the suds from her skin. He slowly turned her to do the same to the front of her body, and then kneeled to wash down her legs. She sighed as he gently stroked the sensitive junction between her thighs and made him chuckle when she groaned in disappointment as he stood.

He held her gaze as he started to wash himself in the same way, his hands slowly making their way towards his erection. Her gaze faltered and watched him stroke himself, licking her lips as he stepped towards her into the spray. He smirked at her wide eyes. “I need to rinse off.”

Felicity nodded as she moved so he could get under the spray but reached out to help him rinse the suds from his back.

Running his hands through his wet hair he turned back around to face her. “Time for your hair.”

She nodded again, her eyelids drooping as she ran a hand down his abs. He chuckled as he caught her wrist and kissed her palm. “I told you I’d take care of you.” He directed her body under the spray and tilted her head back, massaging her scalp as he washed her hair. She closed her eyes and hummed in appreciation, making him smile.

“This,” Felicity cleared her throat and tried again. “This isn’t what I had in mind when I invited you into the shower with me.”

Oliver leaned in to whisper in her ear as he rinsed the remaining shampoo from her hair. “If you were thinking about my head between your legs that’s up next.”

She smiled and shook her head slowly. “Is that all?”

Oliver chuckled, licking her earlobe before answering. “And my teeth in your neck as you scream my name in pleasure?”

“Oh god, yes, please, let’s do that now.” Felicity nodded emphatically, brushing his face with her wet cheek and causing him to chuckle.

Oliver kissed down her body back to a kneeling position, throwing one of her legs over his shoulder. Using the wall as leverage he pushed his face into her and brought her over the edge, her whimpers and moans fueling the fire in his veins. As her body went limp he stood quickly to rinse his face with one hand as he steadied her with the other arm. He shut off the water and wrapped her in a towel before carrying her to the bed, returning to the bathroom to dry himself before taking her towel and placing her under the sheets. Crawling in beside her he felt her arms lazily encircle his neck.

“Oliver, I love you.” Her voice was raspy and slurred.

“I love you, too, sweetheart.” He met her lips as their bodies came together, one of her legs flung haphazardly over his hips.

Their hands, bodies, and mouths fought for dominance as they always did. Each trying to give the other what they craved, losing themselves in the pleasure that brought. As Oliver finally took his place inside her he nuzzled her neck, allowing his teeth to trace their favorite spot.

“Taste me, Oliver.” Felicity whispered, her fingers stroking the back of his head. “Taste what you do to me.”

He moaned and sank his teeth into her precious flesh, suckling as their rhythm made her breathless, her blood bringing his senses to the edge. He lapped at her with his tongue when she started whimpering his name, bringing his bloodied mouth to her ear as she clenched around him. “What do you need?”

Felicity whined, turning her head to taste herself on his lips before answering, “Don’t stop. Just, please, don’t stop.” And she pushed his head back to her neck as she arched her body against him.

He could taste the orgasm in her blood before she felt it. She clenched around him, bringing him to his own completion. He moved off to her side, gently rubbing the mark on her neck with his thumb, ensuring it hadn’t kept bleeding.

Felicity sighed happily, rubbing his arm lovingly. “You take good care of me.”

Oliver chuckled. “You do the same for me.”

“Always.” She smiled before meeting his lips for another kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's the end of that one, but I'm starting a series. Some intermittent bits of their life, Thea's romance, the vampire war with the Bertinellis, and what happens when immortal Felicity is left alone years and years from now.
> 
> For those who asked about whether Oliver could still use her as a donor - yes, she's basically human since she's immortal, she doesn't require blood, so she can freely give it. But she's also a vampire in that she can take blood if she wants, it just isn't necessary. So yeah, no blood bags in their house lol


End file.
